Dusty Bibles, Clean Messaging: What Josiah Queen Got Right

Josiah Queen’s “Dusty Bibles” hits hard—with real emotion, bold visuals, and a rollout strategy every artist should study.

Author

Stephen Frost
July 17, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Josiah Queen didn’t just drop a song — he dropped his phone (literally).

From doomscrolling captions to iPhone-smashing visuals, “Dusty Bibles” blended conviction with vulnerability to become Josiah’s most resonant release yet — and fans showed up.

Let’s break down how he used emotional honesty, sharp visuals, and community-first storytelling to spark a viral, faith-fueled moment.

Campaign Snapshot

  • This Week’s Release: Josiah Queen - “Dusty Bibles”

  • Release Date: June 20, 2025

  • The Song:

    • “Dusty Bibles” is a gut-punch for anyone who’s ever felt spiritually disconnected. With a sound reminiscent of Vance Joy and The Strumbellas—but through a Christian music lens—it’s both catchy and convicting.

  • Why this campaign matters:

    • Josiah Queen’s rise is no accident. After breaking out as an indie artist with The Prodigal last year, earning a Dove Award nomination, and signing with Capitol CMG, he’s carved out a clear path toward mainstream success ahead of his upcoming sophomore album Mt. Zion due August 22nd.

    • With “Dusty Bibles,” he’s not just releasing a song—he’s releasing a message that’s deeply resonating with his audience, and it might be his biggest yet.

    • Whether you're faith-based or not, there’s a lot to learn here about how personal truth, lyrical alignment, and bold visuals can drive impact.

The Playbook

Play #1: Hook With Emotion-First Captions

@josiahqueenmusic

Its still about you too

Josiah leads with captions that immediately hit an emotional or relatable nerve.

The one above was “I’m sorry to every Android user that feels left out of this song” (a call out to the song’s hook using iPhone instead). And in his first post of this song, he played it acoustically writing in the caption “[I] wrote this one after doomscrolling for an hour 😭”

This sets the tone, stakes, and voice before the first chord even hits. It makes the scroll-stopper not just the song—but the feeling.

Play #2: Pretend It’s Not Your Song

@josiahqueenmusic

Dusty bibles is out now btw

In one of his smartest posts, Josiah shares the track like it’s not his.

He wears sunglasses, sits low in frame, adds text like “this song said what?????”—and makes it feel like a fan video, not a promo.

It’s a genius move that makes the post feel native and raw, not branded.

Play #3: Push the Hook… Literally

@josiahqueenmusic

Tag me in your videos if you fo this trend! Ill try to repost them all!

The chorus lyric: “We got dust on our bibles, brand new iPhones.”

What did Josiah do? Held up a Bible… then chucked an iPhone across the room.

It’s unexpected, literal, and visual—and it instantly sells the core message of the song.

Play #4: Share His Own Conviction

@josiahqueenmusic

Just cause i write the song doesnt mean ive mastered life

Josiah didn’t write this track because he has it all figured out. He wrote it because he doesn’t. And he made that clear.

When artists tell stories that reflect their own struggles—not just moral lessons—they create mirrors, not pedestals.

That vulnerability is what fuels real connection.

The Result

  • #12 on Spotify’s US Viral 50

  • 7.8M+ Spotify streams in under a month

  • 30K+ TikTok uses

  • Highest-charting song to date: #3 on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs

Actionable Tips For Your Next Release

1) Post Like a Fan, Not a Pitchman

When you try posting your song as if you’re a fan of your own music (and not as an artist), you not only better understand your own fan’s perspective on how they perceive your music, but you also end up getting your music heard in front of more people when posted like a fan.

Fans don’t want to be sold to with new music. They wanna discover it.

2) Push the Visual Limits of Your Lyrics

If you have a song coming up with a clearly visual and lyrical narrative in your hook/chorus, see how far you can push that limit to portray the life of your song. Cause selling it physically could be the key to hitting the wow factor with new listeners.

Josiah was bold enough to throw an iPhone in his videos. What’s your iPhone equivalent for your next single?

3) Push the Visual Limits of Your Lyrics

The beauty about good music is that often times, it’s just as much for the artist as it is for their fans.

When writing about something lyrically dense like a dusty bible for example, Josiah was able to convey how this song was written for his own healing and that he’s far from perfect as an “ideal Christian.” Position yourself on the same playing field as your fan not because they may listen to your music, but because you’re in service to them.

4) Find the Lyrical Common Denominator

Kind of piggy-backing off the last tip: to get more listeners excited about your new music, you need to find a connecting point between you and them.

For Josiah’s latest single, he used hook overlay texts like apologizing to Android users for his song and writing in the caption that the song resulted from doomscrolling. Look deep into your next song where you can find the lyrical common denominator. Build your posts around that shared thread, and the engagement will follow.

BEFORE YOU GO…

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We’ll see you again next week!

- Stephen