Sinach

By Nehru Odeh

Her fans can’t get enough of her. Though born Osinachi Kalu she later become known globally as Sinach. Not only has she won multiple awards, her music has gained universal acceptance.

However the intriguing thing about the Ebonyi state- born gospel singer and songwriter is that many, irrespective of their religious beliefs, relate to her music. Her songs are sung in many countries and have been translated to many languages across the globe,

Some of her hit songs include Way Maker, I know who I Am, Awesome God , Great Are You Lord, Rejoice, He Did It Again, Precious Jesus, The Name of Jesus. Her most popular song, Way Maker was sung by demonstrators protesting against racial injustice in the United States last year.

Still, the question is: Why is her music universally accepted, given the fact that she is not a secular artiste? She recently opened up on why her music has gained universal acceptance in an interview with presenters of Your View, an all-female talk show on TVC. According to the multiple award-winning artiste her music has gained universal acceptance because people are motivated by her songs, find hope and encouragement in them and are able to connect.

“I learnt early enough that the only thing that can change a man and make lasting impression is the word of God, the spirit of God. And that is the only thing that can make lasting impression in the hearts of men and women all over the world. And that keeps me on, writing. So in my songs you would hear declaration of the word of God, declaration of who God is and declaration of faith, encouragement. And so when you release that, you are not just singing about yourself or your friends or the song, how beautiful it is. That makes lasting impression,  that people will always find encouragement, hope and be able to connect.

“I have wide acceptance all over the world. You know it is scriptural. You know the Bible says He has given us favour and grace. And there is a particular place in the Bible about a house that is built on a hill. You know your greatness cannot be hidden. It is even part of my song that I declare.

“I am a light to the world. That is who I am. And so everywhere I go I shine. And so that is what it is. My acceptance is not because of my name but is because of who I am, who God has made me, she maintained.

However, Sinach said the reason her music breaks racial, religious and ethnic boundaries is the excellence behind her work and that is why she has won multiple awards in the United States and beyond.

“What they actually recognizing is the excellence behind the music. You know, it is like writing a book. A bestseller doesn’t ask if you are a Christian or you are writing for something else. It is the excellence. What is the yardstick for the presentation of the award? You can say we are giving you the award because you crossed this, you did this, you did that.

“Maybe the reason why they are giving you the award is because they have a particular thing that they are seeing. Maybe you have passed the 300, 000 mark or something like that. So it wasn’t about religion or anything. It was about the excellence behind the production, the excellence behind what the person is doing.”

Excellence? Certainly. That Sinach has done excellently well with her music is not debatable. She is the first to top the Billboard Christian Songwriter chart for 12 weeks in a row and the first African artiste to ever top the chart. In 2016, she was the first recipient of the LIMA Songwriter of the Decade Award. Her song, Way Maker, bagged three nominations and won the Song of the Year at the 51st GMA Dove Awards, making her the first Nigerian to win the award.

The visuals for Way Maker is currently the second most watched Nigerian music video on YouTube In March 2019, it became the third Nigerian video to garnered 100 million views on YouTube behind Davido’s Fall and Yemi Alade’s Johnny.