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SA gospel music is good news
15/07/2008 13:56 - (SA)
Johannesburg - As the church crowd shuffles in, a singer in a sharp beige suit jumps and raises his fist, belting out praise to the Lord in perfect key while a 30-strong choir lifts their voices behind him.
"Praise his name," says Xolani Sithole. "He's worthy!"
Sithole, 34, and his choir are clearly moved while performing - some even cry - and the audience of 2 000 in the Oasis of Life Family Church sing along while pointing to the sky and shouting their approval.
But more could be in store for a select few of the musicians here and at churches like it across South Africa. Such powerful performances could also bring them a career.
Gospel music has risen to become one of South Africa's top-selling genres, and the phenomenal success has brought its own kind of temptation for musicians of faith.
When record companies come calling, as they sometimes do at churches known for their performances, musicians must decide whether to opt for a professional career that could lead them down paths not always of the holy variety.
You are going to die
"I tell them, 'You are going to die,'" Pastor Isaac Sithole, the charismatic head of Oasis of Life who sells DVDs of his sermons at the church store, said of musicians he views as not well-grounded.
"The professional route will kill them. They don't know how to maintain their Christian life," he adds, naming drugs, alcohol and homosexuality as potential pitfalls.
But even Sithole concedes it has become tough to heed his advice with the industry booming and young musicians from the Daveyton township, where the church is located, being offered a chance at a real payday.
"You cannot stop someone who needs to make money," he said.
Sithole doesn't seek to stop everyone from leaving, and his former musical director, Tshepiso Motaung, recently made the jump and released his first CD.
The 35-year-old Motaung said Sithole gave him his blessing.
Christian lifestyle
"When the time is right, you will get the full support," Motaung said, stressing he still views Oasis of Life as his home and maintains his Christian lifestyle.
He also gives 10% of what he earns back to the church, he said.
"I have to make a living, like anybody else who has to move to greener pastures."
Explanations for the music's popularity range from the fact that South Africa is a nation of strong religious faith, to its economic growth that has allowed the working class population - believed to account for much of the gospel market - to afford to buy CDs.
Others offer a simpler argument, saying the music industry knows a good product when it sees it.
"I think it's because the music industry realised that people like gospel," said Xolani Sithole, the singer at Oasis of Life.
"For them, it's not about ministry."
He has played with several groups and will come out with a CD later this year - though one with jazz, not gospel.
For Xolani Sithole, who is not related to Pastor Sithole, gospel music is too personal for him to treat it as business, he said. Should he end up making money while playing it, he'll be happy, but he does not want to force it.
"If God allows me that I can do a gospel album and make money, then praise the Lord," he said.
Gospel music is a top-seller
There are no specific industry-wide figures on gospel sales, but record company executives, the Recording Industry of South Africa association and music critics all say it is clear the genre is among the top-sellers.
Orrack Chabangu, general manager for a division of music giant EMI, which has the largest market share in South Africa, said churches provide a built-in audience for gospel CDs and the music does not date itself the way more trendy genres do.
Record companies such as his seek to strike a balance when they recruit musicians from houses of worship, he said, sometimes even offering the church a percentage when they sign new artists.
"You come up with a model at the end of the day with a fair balance, where you do not exploit the church and the church does not exploit you," said Chabangu.
A strong-selling gospel CD will move 300 000 or more copies, he said.
Internationally, groups such as the Grammy award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir are often better known, but in South Africa names such as Rebecca Malope tend to dominate.
Some musicians, however, cast doubt on whether certain colleagues are truly seeking to do the Lord's work.
Xolani Sithole said for gospel musicians who record, "Mostly it's money more than the ministry."
Another Oasis of Life singer, 32-year-old Thulani Dlamini, expressed similar suspicions.
"Sometimes for people, church is just a cover," he said.
- AFP
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South Africa
