Press Play is a Christian pop/rock band established in 2008 by worship leader Dave Hanley. The band has gained international recognition and collaborated with prominent figures in the Christian music scene, such as Darlene Zschech, Group 1 Crew, Rachael Lampa, Israel Houghton, Britt Nicole, and Mary Mary. The group features lead singers Dave Hanley, Nicole Croteau, and Jonathan Thulin. Initially, they served as the worship team for the Los Angeles Dream Center, where they were formed. Press Play currently travels full-time, and they are signed to Dream Records with distribution through EMI Christian Music Group. To date, they have released four albums: Life Is Beautiful (2009), NY2LA (2010), World Anthem (2011), and another album in 2013.
The vision for Press Play began when Dave Hanley led worship at the Dream Center's Angelus Temple, aiming to create relevant worship that would resonate beyond church walls and into the community. Before adopting the name "Press Play," the team was known as Dream House, where they developed a distinctive sound that garnered attention in the Los Angeles area. After releasing several albums under the Dream House name, the band transitioned to "Press Play," catching the attention of Universal Records A&R Executive Rhoda Lawrence, who signed them in 2008. Following this, Hanley launched Dream Records as an imprint of Universal.
Press Play's debut major release, Life Is Beautiful, featured lead female vocalist Paige Adkins, who is the daughter of comedian Sinbad, and included guest vocals from renowned worship leader Darlene Zschech of Hillsong. The album achieved significant success, reaching No. 2 on Billboard's Christian chart and No. 45 on the Billboard Top 200 mainstream chart. This success propelled Press Play into the national spotlight, with appearances on NBC's TODAY Show, meetings with ABC, features on FOX News, and coverage in various national newspapers and magazines. The band also collaborated with producer Rodney Jerkins, known as Darkchild.
Following the success of their debut album, Press Play quickly began working on a follow-up, which was released a year later. Paige Adkins was replaced by Sada Jackson as the new female lead. The second album, NY2LA, which stands for "New York to L.A.," reached No. 3 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart. The title track featured guest rapper Tyler James Williams from Everybody Hates Chris and achieved notable success on Christian CHR, peaking at No. 20, particularly gaining traction on the Air1 station where the music video for "NY2LA" went viral, amassing nearly 400,000 views.
In late 2010, Press Play decided to leave the Dream Center to focus on full-time touring. While most of the original band members remained to continue worship leadership at the Dream Center, Dave Hanley and Sada Jackson, along with drummer Mike Adams and singer/keyboard player Jonathan Thulin, formed the new lineup. Thulin, who was previously a solo artist, was signed to Dream Records shortly after joining the group. His album, The Anatomy of a Heartflow, was released on September 13, 2011. After a brief hiatus, Press Play embarked on a six-week spring tour with openers Rachael Lampa, Charmaine, and Ryan Stevenson, where they were inspired to begin work on a new album. By the end of May, the team commenced writing and recording World Anthem, completing the project in just 11 days with contributions from all members, including David Thulin, who created much of the album's beats and sequencing.
Currently, Press Play is serving at New Hope West Coast in Simi Valley, California, with the addition of new band members: bass player Sean Cook, vocalist Nicole Croteau, and lead guitarist Michael Baja. Their album World Anthem is set to release on September 27, 2011, through Dream/Universal Records and features collaborations with Manwell Reyes of Group 1 Crew and Mark Marques of Shake The Nation.