The Christian band Skillet has successfully crossed over into the mainstream and active rock charts but the band is determined to maintain their Christian music roots.

The band's lead singer, bass player and lone original member, John Cooper explained to QCtimes that although having mainstream success the band will always keep their original message. "Once a band crosses from Christian music to mainstream music, once they've had one or two hits, they kind of stop doing Christian music," he said.

"And I'm not saying every one of them, nor disrespectful towards anyone's decisions, but they start to do less and less in the Christian market," he added. "Skillet has kept doing what we've always done."

Skillet is currently on tour fellow Christian Band with Third Day for a spring tour, which hits the iWireless Center in Moline on Sunday night. Although rooted in faith-based music, they also recently toured with mainstream bands, attracting new fans. Towards the end of 2013 the band was on a European tour opening up for mainstream band Nickelback in a quest to expand their audience.

Skillet was founded in 1996 in Memphis Tennessee and they signed with mainstream Atlantic Records in 2003, but did not get a song on mainstream radio until 2009 with "Hero."

Although he has had much success in the Christian market Cooper told QC that he was holding out hope the band would become a rock success as well.

"It used to hurt us that we were so vocal about being a Christian act in the mainstream world," he said in the interview. "They didn't understand that. Now it's something people respect about us, that we never forgot where we came from."

The 38-year-old bandleader said he didn't have to make a choice of one genre or another.

"I've just refused to stop doing Christian music because I love it and I believe it and I grew up with it," he said. "They are the people who brought me here.

"I always wanted to do both. I never just wanted to do Christian music, but I wanted to sing about my faith. It was something we tried to wait and see if doors would open," he continued. "We tried to get some interest in a mainstream label partner, but that didn't happen for a long time, and it was a lot of work."

Skillet made a breakthrough in 2006, thanks to social media. MySpace.com exposed the act to new listeners, whether they were Christian music fans or not.

The popular band is four-person, co-ed band, including Cooper's wife, Korey, Lead guitarist Seth Morrison and drummer Jen Ledger. According to the bands Wikipedia they have sold over 2 million albums in the U.S. aloneand are known for a relentless touring schedule, which garnered them a top five ranking in the Hardest Working Bands of 2011 by Songkick.com.