Kayode Akinyemi: The Vintage Escapism of Christian ‘Church Pop’

Esomnofu Emmanuel

Range is a fine finish line for most Christian pop composers and it has been quite the icing on Kayode Akinyemi’s cake for most of his career. The Christian gospel minister and composer is among the league of brilliant Nigerian-born maestros adorning the UK and
Nigerian music scenes with reference-worthy performances.

The Music, Mentorship, Motivation concert held last November, in Portsmouth, left crowds agog including this writer. The Nigerian maestro and member of the Kudos Gospel Choir (BBC’s best-rated Gospel Choir of 2024), performed “Biggie God” to popular applause. Here, his use of vintage composition technique for Nigerian Christian worship — the two-part percussion that glistens the melody with a funk-leaning vibe, and the overarching voweled choruses of “Ooooo, Ooooo, Ooooo.. I serve a biggie God.”

Another noteworthy performance of Akinyemi would be his Wonders of Worship concert held in Cardiff, back in March, this year, where he performed his ballad, “Nobody Greater.”

The rendition ranked highly for its methodical note-splits and dramatic cadences coloured his expressions with the vintage escapism of musical harmony. Every refrain roared with a mood-function, leaving listeners with a yearning for extension. This anti-climatic crescendo,
impressively, works, leaves more for imagination with the flat repetitions, but, overall, embraces a cohesive feel with the dissipating tempos cued by melancholic pianos.

Across Christian Music, Kayode Akinyemi stands out as one of the masters of tone and tempo, refining every rendition with the allure of pitch control. It is important to let the music play out, revealing its intricacies in its arrangements, mood, and overall harmony. Akinyemi’s
strengths lie in understanding what exactly works for every song.

The flutes, cymbals and piano chords in Akinyemi’s “Worship My King”, released last year, gives another layer of direction to his mastery of control over the compositions. Akinyemi, juggles a softer intro before switching tempos with an energetic hook. The song’s singular message of worship is communicated, without drifting away due to the noise of tune exhaustion.

Akinyemi’s arrangement in his song, “Pentecost”, also puts his singing techniques on full display. It’s a sturdy flight from the ‘Holy spirit, can’t do nothing without you-uuu-uuu-uuu’ chant-esque opener to the climaxing invocations, ‘We need your fire-eeee-eee-, We need
your power-rrr-rrr’, filling the record with introspective cues.

Akinyemi started his ministry and musicianship at the Latter Rain Assembly, where he’s attended for decades. He’s sung in other notable places, such as ministries including House On The Rock, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Mountain of Fire Ministry, while also
singing as a back-up vocalist and recording artiste. He also won the award for Best Contemporary Vocalist at MFM. His catalogue is available across YouTube and other streaming platforms.