Forrest Frank’s ‘UP!’ lands in Tropicana ad, placing Christian song in front of millions 

A popular song by one of Christian music’s top artists has landed in a national television ad, marking the latest example of faith-based artists finding an audience beyond the Christian community.

Tropicana in recent weeks released a new television ad set to UP! by Forrest Frank and Connor Price, featuring a sleepy sloth in the jungle that drinks Tropicana orange juice and instantly becomes energized, walking across the forest floor like never before – wide-eyed and confident. At one point, the confident sloth even slides down a moss-covered log like a child on a playground.

The ad is set to the song’s catchy chorus: “I was down but now I’m up, I used to be stuck in that mud, yeah I was down but now I’m up.”

Frank is perhaps the most popular singer in Christian music, having wrapped his Jesus Generation Tour Aug. 1 after selling out multiple venues and drawing 519,000 fans across all cities. His success also landed him at No. 5 in late June on the Pollstar Live 75, a global ranking of the world’s top touring acts based on average tickets sold over the previous 30 days. He was the only Christian artist on the list.

The Tropicana ad didn’t include the song’s more explicit faith content – such as the line, “This all God, this ain’t no luck” – but most of Frank’s fans on social media appeared to welcome the mainstream exposure.

“Maybe it can plant some seeds and get more people to listen to the full song,” one fan wrote.

Frank, though, is far from the first Christian artist with a song in a mainstream ad.

In 2023, Apple used Christian hip-hop artist Tedashii’s Get Out My Way (featuring Lecrae) in a national commercial showcasing the iPhone 14’s Action Mode camera feature. Tedashii, a Dove nominee, said he had been praying for national exposure. 

“It was a dream come true,” he said.

In 2020, The Salvation Army included Lauren Daigle’s Rescue in a national television campaign urging Americans to donate to the charity.

TobyMac’s music has been featured in multiple mainstream spots, including a 2006 Volvo commercial that used his song Atmosphere to promote the automaker’s XC90 SUV.

NEEDTOBREATHE has also enjoyed significant mainstream exposure, with Feet, Don’t Fail Me Now and Great Night placed in Wrangler campaigns, and Forever on Your Side used in an AdventHealth television campaign.

In fact, the use of Christian artists in mainstream ads stretches back decades. In 1996, Jars of Clay wrote and performed a Christmas-themed radio commercial for Coca-Cola, bringing the band’s distinctive sound to mainstream audiences.