For decades, the most popular gospel music was American-made. Or so it seemed. Many American Christians felt that the world revolved around the USA, its music, movies and culture. Thus, one might innocently think that music-loving Christians all over the world knew the sanctified sounds of Kirk Franklin or Tasha Cobbs Leonard, but it ain’t necessarily so.
Every country has its own indigenous spiritual music which may or may not seep outside of its borders. However, over the last two decades, thanks to cyberspace, every form of gospel music from every curve of the globe has been introduced to the American audience through international entry ports, better known as YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal, iTunes, and any number of DSPs (Digital Service Providers) and streaming services.
Just think. Back in the early 1990s before The Internet was a thing, if you heard of a popular gospel record in Europe and wanted it, you had to mail a letter with an international form of payment to a fulfillment center overseas to receive it. The whole process could take weeks if not months. With the worldwide web, music is now shared in real time. Within seconds, you can download the most obscure song in any country via i_T_u_n_e_s_ _or A_m_a_z_o_n_ _M_u_s_i_c_. Heck, you don’t even have to download it. You can just listen on YouTube or another DSP. In a sense, the internet has leveled the playing field and brought the music of the world to the shores of America in a way that didn’t exist thirty years ago.
One of the primary sources for the surge of new-to-America gospel sounds is Nigeria. The first known Nigerian gospel recording was in 1922, “Jesu olugbala ni mo f’ori fun ẹ” (“I give myself to Jesus the Saviour” in the Yoruba language), performed by Rev. J.J. Ransome-Kuti. In the 1960s, Kuti’s grandson, Fela Kuti (born years after his grandfather’s death), pioneered the Afrobeat music genre. (‘Afrobeat’ music is characterized by complex percussive rhythms combined with elements of jazz and funk. Lyrics are often strongly political).
These days, the global gospel music climate is rich and vibrant, and the man who knows it best is Muyiwa Olarewaju.
Aside from being a respected worship and praise recording artist in the United Kingdom [with his group Riversongz], he’s the host of the Christian Broadcasting Network’s international program, “Turning Point,” which is viewed by millions weekly. He’s also the director of London-based Premier Christian Radio, the largest and most influential faith-based radio network in Europe.
“There’s a shift and not many people are awake to it,” Muyiwa says in his smooth, dramatic baritone. “There are artists coming from Nigeria and Ghana to the UK. They are touring and selling out venues. There’s a young man named Called Out Music. He grew up in the northern part of Nigeria which is known for Christians getting killed. He did a version of Kirk Franklin’s “Hosanna” that blew him up. Then came Limoblaze [born Samuel Onwubiko]. This boy just toured your country with Lecrae and his crew. What he’s doing is a reflection of what’s happening in pop music. Afrobeats has blown up everywhere. The top five mainstream Afrobeats artists are all powered by gospel music. Whether it’s [influenced by] the people who write for them, people who play with them, or the people who roll with them, or themselves. Many grew up in gospel music but don’t do gospel music. Limoblaze is doing Afrobeats gospel and it’s catching fire. He’s selling out arenas!”
The inspiration for Sinach’s biggest song, “Way Maker,” came to her while she was on a transatlantic flight. Her prior songs “Awesome God” and “I Know Who I Am” were big but nothing prepared her for “Way Maker” which was released in the final weeks of 2015. It took off throughout Africa immediately and was certified gold in South Africa a few months later. Benita Jones, a worship leader at M_t_._ _Z_i_o_n_ _C_h_u_r_c_h_ _in Nashville at the time, heard it and started singing it during Sunday services. Her videos went viral and people started looking for the song. She had not formally recorded it at the time [she finally did in 2018], so fans found Sinach’s original version which now has over 250 million Y_o_u_T_u_b_e_ _views. Almost a decade later, the song has been recorded or performed by over 100 artists, including church-famous ones such as Michael W. Smith, Leeland, and Mandisa, who passed way in April.
As a result of the proliferation of covers, Sinach was named #1 on the B_i_l_l_b_o_a_r_d_ _C_h_r_i_s_t_i_a_n_ _S_o_n_g_w_r_i_t_e_r_s_ _C_h_a_r_t_ _in 2020, making her the first African to top the chart. “Sinach is a praise and worship artist, but the system would categorize her as gospel,” Muyiwa says. “She’s about to sell out W_e_m_b_l_e_y_ _A_r_e_n_a_ _here. That’s 12,500 people.” Other artists to sell-out Wembley in the past include Tina Turner, The Rolling Stones, and Michael Jackson. “It’s truly exciting to know from Nigeria, we are reaching far and dominating in the west,” Sinach told B_u_s_i_n_e_s_s_ _D_a_y_ _newspaper in Lagos, Nigeria back in 2020.
Another Nigerian spreading the Good News via Afrobeats is T_i_m_ _G_o_d_f_r_e_y_ _who made headlines earlier this year when W_h_o_o_p_i_ _G_o_l_d_b_e_r_g_ _accepted the “Big God Challenge” and danced to his song “Big God” on the set of T_h_e_ _V_i_e_w_. It went viral. It was a sweet gift for a man who grew up so poor that he says even poor people called his family poor. His parents had seven children. Although, they both worked, and the kids did too, they were still economically disadvantaged. They peddled bananas, coconuts and anything they could on the streets of Kakuri to bring extra money into the home. “I usually had only one meal a day,” Tim remembers of his childhood. “We slept on the floor. Never slept on a mattress. We went to school barefoot. We walked for one hour and thirty minutes to get to school and the same to get back, sometimes two hours. There was no window in the school. Whether you studied or not, didn’t matter. I can’t remember learning anything there. We just went and came back home.”
At the age of twelve, Godfrey became a houseboy for an abusive uncle who had musical instruments at his home. When he wasn’t home, Godfrey would take the bass guitar and teach himself a song. Later, when the uncle noticed the instrument had been moved, “He would beat the hell out of me,” Godfrey recalls. But he kept teaching himself and kept getting beatings until he mastered several instruments. He began to play at church and started recording music in the early 2000s. “There was no label to join, nobody knew anything like that existed,” he recalls. “I had to do everything myself.” He formed R_O_X_ _N_a_t_i_o_n_ _(aka R_e_p_u_b_l_i_c_ _o_f_ _X_t_r_e_m_e_) because, in Godfrey’s words, he does ‘everything to extremes,’ and wanted to create opportunities for other African artists. His songs, “Nara” and “God Turned It Around” among others, have made him a big name throughout Africa, but he credits JJ Hairston with breaking him in the USA. Hairston invited him to lead worship while serving as music minister at C_i_t_y_ _o_f_ _P_r_a_i_s_e_ _M_i_n_i_s_t_r_i_e_s_ _in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. [Hairston and his wife Trina are now lead pastors of A_l_l_ _N_a_t_i_o_n_s_ _D_C_ _C_h_u_r_c_h_ _in the area]. They collaborated on the song “Onaga (It’s Working)” from Hairston’s 2019 album, M_i_r_a_c_l_e_ _W_o_r_k_e_r_. It streamed in the millions. Godfrey says, “It went wild.” It’s sweet payback for Godfrey, who has been supporting American artists making names
Gospel in London
In 2023, Grammy Award winner Donald Lawrence staged a successful Music & Arts Conference in London that drew choir leaders from all over the world.
Michelle McKinney Hammond, the British-born, Barbados-reared relationships author/expert, came of age in the American Midwest, and is also making an impact musically. “When Michelle went back to Ghana [where her biological father William McKinney was born], her musical side woke up again and she started raising a sound that hadn’t been heard outside of Ghana,” Muyiwa recalls. She’s written 300 songs and recorded four worship-oriented albums that include notable songs such as “The Word” and “Come to the Altar.” She often performs with her praise team/band, R_e_l_e_v_a_n_c_e_. She’s also written over 40 books that have sold millions, including the bestseller S_a_s_s_y_,_ _S_i_n_g_l_e_ _a_n_d_ _S_a_t_i_s_f_i_e_d_. Her newest book just dropped, T_h_e_ _D_i_v_a_ _P_r_i_n_c_i_p_l_e_:_ _D_i_v_i_n_e_ _I_n_s_p_i_r_a_t_i_o_n_ _f_o_r_ _V_i_c_t_o_r_i_o_u_s_ _A_t_t_i_t_u_d_e_._ _
“Michelle’s expertise is relationships,” Muyiwa continues. “One of my singers was dating someone and it was a troublesome relationship. I hated that for my girl. I’m not a good counselor. I called Michelle and asked what books she recommended for the situation. She suggested the books and I gave them to the singer and now all is well.”
There are still many other Africans influencing the various niches of gospel music such as Dunsin Oyekan, Ebuka Songs, Mercy Chinwo, Moses Bliss, and trumpeter Nathaniel Bassey. “The people that are hot in America, are hot in London and Africa,” says Hammond. “Wherever you go, they are singing those songs. They’re playing that music. African artists are starting to collaborate with gospel artists in the States. Tim Godfrey did a song with Travis Greene. Chevelle Franklyn out of Jamaica is big in the worship arena in Africa and in London. She’s got a Reggae thing going on. She came out of secular music in Jamaica, and then went into gospel. So, she’s blending that sound. And then you’ve got artists that are doing straight up worship stuff. They love Don Moen, believe it or not. I mean, Don Moen is in Africa all the time. Ron Kenoly just moved to Ghana, and I’ve been living in Ghana for 12 years.”
Gospel artists in the USA may fill venues with seating capacities of five thousand or so, but in Africa, single events often get far more attendees. Pastor Paul Adefarasin, at H_o_u_s_e_ _o_n_ _t_h_e_ _R_o_c_k_ _church in Lagos, hosts a huge annual concert called T_h_e_ _E_x_p_e_r_i_e_n_c_e_ _the first Saturday of every December. “He imports a lot of artists,” Hammond explains. “Donnie McClurkin, William Murphy, and Travis Greene is there every year. He’s had Smokie Norful, and CeCe Winans. He
Pastor Paul Adefarasin
Paul Adefarasin, lead pastor at the House on the Rock church in Lagos, has hosted a huge annual concert called The Experience since 2006. It takes place the first Saturday of every December. The 2016 event drew over 700,000 people to Tafawa-Balewa Square.
Sherwin Gardner
Sherwin Gardner, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago but currently lives in Barbados, had a huge viral hit earlier this year with “Find Me Here (Blessings Find Me).” It was totally unexpected.
Sinach
Muyiwa Olarewaju at the Experience festival in Nigeria
One of the few artists selling out arenas is Sinach, who’s been singing and composing songs professionally in her home country of Nigeria for three decades.
The Caribbean is also adding to the global success of gospel. Sherwin Gardner’s “Find Me Here (Blessings Find Me)” was totally unexpected. “I created a 46 second song to post as a New Year’s Day affirmation on TikTok,” Gardner recalls. “When I posted the video, I was thinking 100 people might like it. The next day, there were 100,000 views. By the end of the week, it was a million views.” The views ignited a bidding war between major recording labels, but Gardner didn’t even have a full song to offer. So, he rushed into his Bahamian studio to create a full track, then emailed it to Julius Nana, a Kenyan musician, to arrange. After that, Gardner cut the lead and background vocals, added other atmospherics, and mixed it down.
Gospel music is also blossoming in Japan. The allure of gospel music to people who often aren’t Christians and don’t speak English is intriguing. Pastor Richard Hartley shares, “They say they feel a presence or emotion that they don’t feel in any other music. Being a Buddhist nation, they had no previous experience like that. Gospel music lets them experience the power of Jesus.” Back in 2020, Hartley recorded a bass-heavy urban gospel track entitled “Highway” with T_h_e_ _T_o_k_y_o_ _S_o_u_l_m_a_t_i_c_s_ _C_h_o_i_r_.
V_e_r_i_z_o_n_ _W_i_r_e_l_e_s_s_ _launched a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign in 2007 entitled, H_o_w_ _S_w_e_e_t_ _t_h_e_ _S_o_u_n_d_ _(_H_S_T_S_)_ _Choir competition, to encourage mobile phone usage and sales among the Black church community while also shining a light on talented amateur choirs. In 2021, Nate Brown, the leader of Pasadena, MD-based G_e_n_t_l_e_ _G_i_a_n_t_ _M_u_s_i_c_ _M_i_n_i_s_t_r_y_, relaunched HSTS. Brown explained, “Verizon was like, ‘We’re not writing any more checks! We’ve met our quota, we’re done.’ I was like, man, that’s so sad. I went online to find the How Sweet the Sound website, and they had even shut down the website. What were they thinking? I had my attorney dig deeper, and it was completely dissolved. So, we reached out to the original owners and purchased everything, and it’s been running since.” HSTS has categories for soloists, praise teams and spoken word artists. Brown also works with international festivals to book American gospel artists.
Anu Omideyi, a legal barrister based in Liverpool, England co-chairs, with Roger Moore the G_o_s_p_e_l_ _M_u_s_i_c_ _I_n_d_u_s_t_r_y_ _A_l_l_i_a_n_c_e_ _(GMIA), a body representing the gospel community in Ireland and the United Kingdom. “Gospel music in the UK, as it is in America, is popular as a genre,” Omideyi muses. Muyiwa also credits Omideyi’s co-chair Roger Moore (who has a rich history as a filmmaker, event producer and radio presenter [in American terms: a radio announcer]), for the burst of gospel music rising throughout the United Kingdom. “Roger brought Lecrae here. He brought Mali Music here when no one in America knew Mali Music. The history of gospel in Europe cannot be written without this guy.
“Lots of Americans, especially from the Christian side are now paying attention to Africa. Africa has always had so many gifts and talents, sounds, and creativity and all of that, but because of where we are as far as development, people never cared, or they exploited what we have. Burna Boy and Tems tour around the world and perform in places that are 100% white and people are jumping to the sound. There’s something about Africa. What has opened more doors for us is afrobeats. I’ve gone to a Chinese restaurant in New York, and they are playing Afrobeats. That’s how big it is. South Africa, they have something called A_m_a_p_i_a_n_o_ _which is a different sound. Different countries have different sounds.”
Godfrey and a whole new generation of singers are changing the church’s musical listening habits. “I’m just getting started,” he laughs. “I dream crazy. I’m really hyped about what’s happening. I want to do movies. I want to open doors for African creatives. But most importantly, I want to represent Christ not just for Africa, but for the whole world to hear and experience Jesus. For me, its Jesus, Jesus, Jesus and that’s all that matters.”