How I Found Myself Singing Gospel Music

The journey into the gospel music scene for Adeola Adebisis Oyinbo, could be described as very dramatic and sacrificial. But today she has an album to show for her effort. Recently, she launched an initiative tagged, ‘Album Spreading Campaign’. In this interview with Mary Ekah, she talks about how it all started, her album, the essence of the campaign, the concept behind the title of the album and more

How did your journey into music start?
I’m from a Muslim family but I eventually gave my life to Christ and then joined the choir. From there inspiration started. The Holy Spirit was giving me different songs at different times. Sometimes I will just be washing clothes and a song will come to me and I will quickly write it down. And I felt that for these songs to keep coming, there was something God wanted me to do about them. I felt I needed to tell the world what God was saying through these songs.

I took them very seriously and started working and that has been the journey. Every song that comes, I like to give attention and before you know it everybody is listening to them. My songs are directly from God, so I don’t joke with my songs. So the journey for me has been backward and forward. If I say that this song is good, tomorrow, He will give me one that is better and on and on it went. So it has been a glorious journey for me.

So how long did it take to make this album?
I started gradually in the choir when I joined the choir as far back 2005. But the very first time I ever went to the studio to record a song was 2010 and the song was titled, ‘Something About the Name of Jesus’. And that was my very first recorded song.

How many songs do you have in your debut album?
My debut album is titled; ‘Spreading Jesus’ and I have 14 songs in it. And there is also a song I did for MTN caller tune this year titled, ‘Morning of Your Life’ and that is to tell you that people that you never imagine will listen to my songs are attracted to them. And I tell you that my songs are inspiring people around the world. These songs come as inspiration from the Holy Spirit telling me to do a song about a situation or just to talk about how big God is.

Tell us a bit about your background as Muslim and how you turned a Christian?
I was born into the family of five children. I am the first child of my parents. My father was a staunch Muslim but today I have led him to Christ. I grew up as a quiet child and I will say I am still a quiet person today and let me add that I used to be a very shy person but when I gave my life to Christ everything changed because I needed to face people and do what I need to do.

I just give God all the glory for bringing me into the light because if there is anywhere you should be, it should be in Christ. So growing up I was very shy, I was an introvert, I could hardly relate with people and would just keep to myself. That is why some of my friends who see what I have become today, find it hard to believe I am the one. Then being a Muslim and who I am now wasn’t funny at all. It was a tough with dad because he stopped paying my school fees, he stopped doing everything he was doing for me and for two years, we did get to see each other face to face. In fact, he disowned me because of the faith that I took but thank God that today we are best of friends.

At what point did you give your life to Christ and what was the thing that brought about that turning point in your life?
When I got admitted into the higher institution, like I said earlier, I just would not talk nor make friends but there were this set of ladies that kept inviting me to church. They wanted me to come to their church and each time they invited me, I will tell them, ‘don’t worry I will come’. But knowing deep in my heart that I wasn’t going to go and it continued like that.

And I kept wondering what I would tell my father if I should follow them to church. But one Sunday, I just dressed up and said let me just go there and see what is so special about this church that these ladies won’t let me be. So when I got there, Pastor Christ Oyakhilome was preaching, they were actually watching him on the screen and he was talking about Jesus and the thing got all over me and right there and then I knew I just had to take a decision. It was like I was the only person he was talking to. It was so strong that I started crying asking God where have I been all the while. And that was the encounter for me.

How about your mom?
Amazingly, my mom has always been a Christian right from time. Even though she had always had issues of going to church with my father because he will tell her, you dare not move and all that. And it got to a point where my mother said, I won’t go to that Mosque but I will pray in my house and there was always one issue or the other between her and my dad. And we all always supported my dad then and it was really tough for her but she had always said then that one day our family would turn to Jesus. She always said that then and we have seen it come to pass. That is the power of the prayer of a mother.

What church does she attend?
She has been a member of Foursquare Gospel Church all along.

Music, according to you, is like a passion and not really to make money, so what then do you do for a living?
I manage an oil and gas company. It is actually a family thing and it is called Global Services, we are into training, manpower supply, we also do software on designs, engineering designs and all that.

What would be your advice to young people, especially those who have passion for music?
It is good to listen and follow instructions. A lot of young artistes we have out there today doing gospel music don’t know the reason they are doing it. Some just jump from gospel to secular music because they feel they are not making enough money. And this is what I have always said and I will say it over and over again, what I do with my music is not for money.

I only do music to spread the gospel of Christ. I have videos online, good videos that we have used millions of naira to put together because there are sets of people whose attention are caught by visuals and for these ones, I have videos for them and for those who just want to hear, we have enough audio for them that will keep spreading the name of Jesus.

So how would you sustain this passion of yours considering the huge amount you have spent and would still spend in a bid to spread the gospel?
That is why I work. That is why I have a business that I am doing. And I am putting my resources into music to make sure that the gospel of the Lord Jesus gets everywhere. That is why I have decided not to just sit down. And when you see me dress to work, you wonder if it is the same person. I take my work very seriously. And I know that no one will work for Jesus and lose. I am not losing anything because I know many have come to the Kingdom through some of these songs. So there is a reward for me and my reward is in Heaven not on earth. So that is why I do all that I do.

You described yourself as someone who is very shy but from what I have observed, it’s like you are a very strict person?
It is not as if I am strict but I just like things to be done rightly, so when there is a task ahead of us and we need to get it done within a particular time frame, then I put everyone to work. I am always like, we have to get this done, and there is no time. So that is what they are now taking me to be being strict. It is just about being disciplined.

We have something we need to achieve and we have to do this, to get it done. In the ministry that we belong, Christ Embassy, we are people with excellence. So we have the same mindset as our pastor. The way Pastor Chris will do it, that’s the way we always want to do our things. So when I want to do anything I put excellence. If it is not okay, we must do it again. It must be excellent.