Recently, Rwanda’s music scene has witnessed several influential artistes ditching secular music to embark on new careers in gospel music. Most of these artistes describe their shift as responding to “divine calling from God”. Although some of them have not yet reached major success since their switch, they all maintain that their decision is not motivated by commercial success. Instead, they aim to live a fulfilling life and win souls to God through gospel music, rather than promoting lyrics about drugs, crime, and other worldly themes. Here are the stories of four famous Rwandan musicians who have made a significant transformation, rebranding themselves both spiritually and professionally, and ultimately, using their music to guide others toward a genuine encounter with Christ. ALSO READ: What’s behind Rwanda’s emerging gospel music takeover? Meddy In December 2023, news broke that US-based musician Medard Jobert Ngabo, also known as Meddy, had fully transitioned to gospel music, a decision that left so many of his secular music fans shocked. They had fallen in love with his music thanks to his popular hits songs like 'Igipimo,' ‘Amayobera,’ ‘My Vow,’ ‘Dusuma’ ft Otile Brown, ‘Mubwire’ and ‘Ubanza Ngukunda’ among so many on his repertoire. Meddy's switch to gospel music sparked mixed reactions but he never changed his mind, explaining that he “once had a dream and woke up a different person”. He urged people not to be too absorbed in worldly life, emphasising that “Jesus is real, he sees you, knows you, loves you, and wants you to know Him”. In his secular music era, Meddy had previously dropped some gospel tracks like ‘Holy Spirit’, ‘Amazi Asuma’, and ‘Ungirira Ubuntu’ before making one of the most famous switches in Rwandan music industry to fully commit to gospel. And ‘Grateful’ was the song that marked his new journey when he officially announced that he was switching to gospel music. He later did a collaboration with Adrien Misigaro, ‘Niyo Ndirimbo’, which has since been on repeat for many of his fans, marking his commitment to his new spiritual path. Liza Kamikazi Kamikazi, real name Solange Umuhire was a household name in the Rwandan music when, during her best secular music days, released hit sings like Ndarota, ‘Usiniache Baby’ and Rahira ft The Ben among others. She became a born-again Christian in 2014 and has since dedicated herself to missionary work through music. As a member of New Life Bible Church in Kicukiro, she has focused on spreading the gospel, emphasising her mission to convert as many people as possible by testifying that God is real. In a recent interview with The New Times, the ‘Yesu Wanjye’ singer revealed that she had a personal revival and that God really visited her. “I was on this journey where I was asking myself what am I here for and if I was really doing what God created me for. It’s from that journey I discovered that I shouldn’t always ask God to bless what I want but rather I should ask him what he wants from me, what his plans for me are,” she recalls. Since then, Kamikazi has released songs such as ‘Hunga Udapfa’, ‘Kumunara’, ‘Ndaje Data’, ‘Sinakwibagiwe’, ‘Contagious’ and ‘Indirimbo Nshya’ to mention but a few. Niyo Bosco Bosco Niyokwizerwa, popularly known as Niyo Bosco, recently opened up about his decision to transition to praise and worship music after nearly falling into drug use. In an interview with MIE Empire, a YouTube platform run by his former manager Irene Murindahabi, the “Ubigenza Ute” singer said that, although fans perceived him as a happy artist, he was struggling internally. He explained that rumours about him using drugs were false, but he came dangerously close to that reality. “People spread rumours that I was using drugs. It wasn’t true, but I was close. If I hadn’t accepted Christ as my Saviour, things could have gone very differently,” he said, emphasising the impact his faith had on his life. “People don’t realise the power in receiving Christ. I was depressed, even though I had everything.” During this time, he also sought advice from fellow artist Meddy, who told him that the success he was achieving surpassed anything the ‘Ntawamusimbura’ singer himself had experienced in his career. Since signing with KIKAC Music, his current music label, Niyo Bosco has released only one song, ‘Ndabihiwe’, but is now working on a new gospel album. This decision to focus on gospel music reflects the musician’s dedication to his faith. He noted that, even before this shift, he had already composed more gospel songs than secular ones, with tracks like “Imbabazi”, “Izindi Mbaraga” and more in his discographies. Alpha Rwirangira Renowned Afro-pop singer Alpha Rwirangira also confirmed his complete transition to gospel music, recently, leaving behind secular music career. The Canada-based singer said that he has no plans to release any non-gospel tracks anymore. Alpha’s decision didn’t come by surprise as he had been mixing gospel with secular music for quite some time, though only for fun. Now, however, his focus is solely on spreading the word of God through gospel music, and he is committed to this path with no intention of going back. Alpha has several gospel songs to his name such as “Merci”, “Akira”, “Zura”, “Amashimwe”, and his latest single “I’m Free”, among others.
