Whitney Houston is back at No. 1, where she belongs!

More than a decade after her death, Houston’s rendition of the holiday classic “Do You Hear What I Hear?” rose to the top of Billboard’s Gospel Streaming Songs chart for the week ending Dec. 13, while her version of “Joy to the World” climbed to No. 3. Both tracks have enjoyed long runs on the chart, with “Do You Hear What I Hear?” logging 54 weeks and “Joy to the World” with 47 weeks.

The renewed streaming surge shows just how special Houston’s voice is, and it gives us life every holiday season. Houston’s version of “Do You Hear What I Hear?” was first recorded for the 1987 charity compilation “A Very Special Christmas” and later appeared on the 1995 CD single for “Exhale (Shoop Shoop).” Over the years, the recording has topped multiple Billboard gospel charts, making Houston one of the rare artists with No. 1 singles spanning four and later, five decades.

This week’s top-five also highlights the range of gospel listening today. CeCe Winans holds the No. 2 and No. 4 spots, while Kanye West’s “God Is” rounds out the list. This proves ​​that classic voices, contemporary stars, and even controversial projects all share space on streaming playlists. According to Complex, there’s a curious newcomer, an AI-generated gospel artist named Solomon Ray and they’ve landed at No. 8. This AI artist is surely reigniting debates about synthetic music and authenticity in sacred genres.

For fans, Houston’s seasonal climb up the charts makes sense. The late legend proves that a transcendent voice and song will always make the playlist. Whitney’s voice is still one of the loudest reminders that some recordings can truly become timeless.