In the latest episode of African Voice Changemakers, CNN’s Larry Madowo meets two Nigerian gospel singers, Nathaniel Bassey and Mercy Chinwo. Gospel is deeply rooted to African song and the sounds of jazz and blues of early 19th century America. Today, it echoes in churches around the world and is soaring to the top of the global music charts.
First, Madowo meets Nathaniel Bassey, a pastor, singer, and trumpetist, with a 20-year career in music and a popular worship livestream. He discusses how his music is resonating with a global audience and how it is contributing to a resurgence of the genre. He says, “I see music as an avenue, an instrument, a platform to give God glory and to worship God. So, I judge success musically from my end by how many souls are touched, how many souls are transformed, how many lives are impacted.”
The 43-year-old is a trained musician, trumpetist, and singer, and he says his love for gospel began as a child, “Because we're from the South-South and we love the horns, we like high life, I grew up listening to that. So, I didn't have a normal childhood watching cartoons. Besides playing football or soccer, I would listen to high life music with my dad. And I caught the passion of music. One day the church asked him to get musical equipment. So, he got the trumpet, and the trumpet was at home. And from the very first day he brought the trumpet, I made a sound. [..]. And I began to stumble on a few techniques here and there.”
Bassey continued to master music and his skills with the trumpet, until God came calling. He tells Madowo, “I made the decision to switch from mainstream to gospel after I won a Berklee scholarship. And I was preparing to go for my visa interview when I began to feel this struggle within, this tension, almost as though traveling to Berklee wasn't the right decision. And there was this renaissance, spiritually happening in my heart.”
Bassey’s hallelujah challenge has become a sensation online as one of the most streamed live events on YouTube. He delves into the inception of the idea, “Many times we interpret the Bible figuratively. Midnight may mean a dark time in your life, but I thought, you know what, why not just praise God at midnight. So, I had this idea to just have people join me. And those days Instagram Live was pretty just novel. […] I was just singing, and people were joining.”
Bassey’s work landed him a high-profile gig in Washington, DC, at this year’s US Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast. He reflects on the moment he got the call, “I got a call from my manager in the US stating that a lady, a reverend Mrs. Turner had called him. And at first it came as a surprise. But because it's something we've always done, praying for the nations during the Hallelujah Challenge. And every now and then I'm invited to pray over the nations. So, when I got this call, it really was an honour.”
Madowo also meets Mercy Chinwo, the winner of the second season of ‘Nigerian Idol’. She talks about her musical experience before the competition, “Before I went into the Nigerian Idol musical competition way back in 2012, I'd always wanted to do gospel music. I love to connect with people outside the stage. I love to relate with my fans. Back then a lot of people thought I was joking, like this girl had noise. Noise. Then they said I was a noisemaker. I was making noise in my compound in my community. Today the person they call the noisemaker is now the voice.”
Chinwo began her ascent in the gospel music charts with her first single called ‘Testimony’ in 2015 and ‘Igwe’ a year later. She says the path became much clearer once she got in touch with her upbringing, “I come from a very humble background […]. I joined the children's choir, and I grew to the point where they made me the leader of the choir and I took up that responsibility of leading the children.”
Chinwo and her husband Pastor Blessed Uzochikwa created the MercyBlessed Foundation to help the less privileged in Nigeria in 2023, one venture she hopes will make her impact even greater in her community. She reflects on her legacy, telling CNN, “I would want my legacy to be where people get to see a relentless woman who never gave up on her dreams. People would look at my life in times to come and they're grateful to God that I served Jesus wholeheartedly.”
African Voices Changemakers airs on CNN International at the following times:
Saturday 5th April 2025 at 0730 WAT and 1100 WAT
Sunday 6th April 2025 at 0330 WAT and 1800 WAT
Monday 7th April 2025 at 0300 WAT
Saturday 12th April 2025 at 0730 WAT and 1100 WAT
Sunday 13th April 2025 at 0330 WAT and 1800 WAT
Monday 14th April 2025 at 0300 WAT
https://edition.cnn.com/specials/africa/african-voices-changemakers