Ahead of the release of God Is Cooking, Gaise Baba reflects on using music, conversations and creative platforms to spread faith and influence culture.
A lot of people know you as a Gospel Artiste but you are also a culture architect. What was the defining moment when you realized your music was more than just entertaining or inspiring?
Music has always been a vehicle for me. I don’t see it as the destination—it’s how I carry a message.
At the center of that message is culture, and because my life is anchored in Christ, my assignment has become clearer over the years – to superimpose Kingdom culture and Kingdom values on popular culture through music, and the platforms I build.
I won’t say there was one defining moment when I realized this. It was a series of moments that began around 2017, when God started giving me a much deeper understanding of my calling. From then on, it stopped being just about me and my music career, I started building platforms for many like me whose expressions were unconventional. We built LightOut—touring secondary schools with impact concerts, thus far reaching about 40,000 teenage & pre-teen students.
We built ARAMANDA Festival that is now the biggest urban Christian festival in the nation. Once I started seeing beyond myself, my perspective changed altogether to one of shaping culture through music, art and creative platforms. Hence, Culture Architect.
Gospel music is becoming more mainstream than ever. Does this feel like an opportunity, a challenge, or both?
I actually believe the Gospel was always meant to be mainstream. When Jesus walked the earth, He didn’t confine His message to religious spaces. He taught on mountains, by rivers, at wells and in marketplaces—where everyday people lived their lives.
So, I don’t see this moment as something new. I see it as a return. We’re simply going back to the model Jesus gave us—We Outside! This message was never meant to stay hidden within four walls. It’s a light we’re called to carry into every sphere of society so people can encounter Christ where they are.
You are also in the podcast community shaping culture differently—how has that experience been for you?
The experience has been incredibly fulfilling because I’ve realized that some conversations simply cannot fit inside a three-minute song. Songs stir hearts, but conversations allow you to unpack ideas. Through The Black Flame Podcast, I’ve been able to engage with strong thinkers, carriers of light and messengers doing meaningful work across different sectors of life.
It’s become another vehicle for the same assignment—to shine light, shape culture and help people think more deeply about God’s purpose for their lives. I’m excited to keep taking those conversations across Africa.
About your video, “Want to Grow”—what is the central message of the song?
The central message of Want to Grow is devotion. Following No Turning Back II, the question many people had was, “What happens now? What comes next? How do we build consecration, and stay consistent?”
The answer isn’t complicated. Simple – Read your Bible. Pray. Do it every day. The Christian life has always been built on simple, daily devotion. It will always be about the basics. Growth isn’t found in shortcuts or sporadic bursts; it’s found in consistency.
It’s been amazing to watch that message resonate with young people and even children across different parts of the world. I’m deeply grateful that God is using such a simple message to make such a profound impact.
What’s the story behind your new album, and what conversations are you hoping it starts?
God Is Cooking is built around one simple idea: God is doing the cooking. I’m simply serving. That has two meanings in one; a double entendre.
First, I’m serving God—His purpose and His assignment for my life. And second, I’m serving people what God has cooked. So, on both ends, I’m simply a servant.
There is something both ancient and innovative about this 13-track album that I genuinely can’t wait for people across different nations, tribes and languages to experience.
How do you balance being an artiste, minister, podcaster and a family man?
I honestly put every part of my life inside my faith. Being an artiste, a minister, a podcaster, a husband and a father—they’re all like different bags. Then there’s one much bigger bag. God. Everything fits right inside Him.
That’s what helps me find balance. Of course, my wife and children remain a priority, but ultimately, it’s my relationship with God that gives every other part of my life its proper place.
Beyond music, what legacy are you hoping to leave for the next generation?
Beyond music, I hope to leave a legacy of faith. A legacy of steadfastness. A legacy that proves it truly pays to serve, follow and remain faithful to God.
I want my life—not just my songs—to show that God is faithful, that He rewards those who diligently seek Him, and that His purpose is worth trusting even when the journey isn’t easy, or seems to be taking a long while.
If, generations from now, someone looks at my life and becomes more convinced that following Jesus is always worth it, then I’ll consider that a life well lived.
