Why today’s Kenyan gospel music doesn’t matter
One time, the gospel music of Kenya was extremely popular. All of the most famous people and most prominent artists were gospel singers. There was a time when J Blessing was a cultural icon in Kenya, when Bahati and Willy Paul were widely popular in the gospel scene, and when a new gospel performer would emerge with the breaking of each new dawn.
Gospel music was so popular in the past that it was often played at nightclubs. During a period when secular music lacked innovation, many artists who were afraid of losing their footing quickly switched to current gospel music.
In the end, the biggest DJs of the time spun final and mixed contemporary gospel. With the possible exception of a few secular DJs, they possessed the largest fan base and were frequently the most booked. They were so well-liked that secular bands often got passed over in favor of them when companies needed entertainment.
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Those times are completely over and done with now. Kenya’s gospel music culture is devoid of talent, and recent events have exposed a reversal of all previous moves. Recently, many of the industry’s most prominent performers have shifted their focus to secular music. And it seems like they took their audience with them, since the gospel genre’s formerly sizable fan base has drastically shrunk.
How come this is happening? When did supporting the gospel or working in the ministry become so uncool? To be sure, most modern artists in Kenya’s gospel scene are just wolves in sheep’s clothing, and this is by far the genre’s largest problem. Over the course of a decade, so many were revealed that fans swiftly stopped supporting current gospel performers because they no longer had any role models they could believe in.
The misconception arose that only “church-affiliated” or “vernacular” gospel musicians could be relied upon, as in those who had cut their teeth singing in church choirs.
We saw Willy Paul, D.K. Kwenye Beat, Mr. Seed, and others become caught up in sex scandals. No longer could their admirers openly embrace them as role models.
And thus an entire generation of potential new congregants vanished. Since then, we have not been successful in reviving the gospel industry. This is partly because churches and their leaders fail to establish meaningful relationships with today’s youngsters. No one is able to serve as a link between the senior members of the flock and the Gen Z members that make up the bulk of their following.
