Gospel juju musician, Babatunde Olaniyan, aka Olababs, is of the view that church hymns don’t have to be boring and monotonous. The singer, who recently released his second album titled, Celebration Hymn Medley, stated that he decided to make the hymns danceable so that people would know hymns don’t have to be boring.
He told Sunday Scoop, “Being a member of the Christ Apostolic Church for over three decades, I grew up listening to and singing lots of hymns. That was how I fell in love with hymns. However, I noticed that many Pentecostal churches these days sing little or no hymns at all. This inspired me to record a medley of inspirational hymns in juju percussion groove style. Considering that hymn singing sessions in churches are sometimes boring, we spiced it up with danceable rhythm. I strongly believe that hymns don’t have to be boring.”
Olababs, who is also a surveyor, noted that he started his music career in 1991 when he joined the choir at the Christ Apostolic Church (Mountain of Victory), Ogba, Lagos. According to him, he later learnt how to play the keyboard and guitar. He added, “Those two instruments have greatly enhanced and helped to distinguish my music till date.”
The singer also stated that his deep and genuine passion for music has kept him going over the years. He said, “My love for music has kept me going strong over the years. Though I work as a surveyor, my interest in music has never waned. My first album in November 2019 was titled, E Gbe Ga (Lift Him Up), and I have never relented. I also have a song titled, Anu ni Mo Bere, which is contained in my latest album.”
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