The Sound of Tradition, the Message of Faith: The Unique Juju Gospel Style of Mr Skylark
The Sound of Tradition, the Message of Faith: The Unique Juju Gospel Style of Mr Skylark.
Over the years, Nigerian music has shown a remarkable capacity to safeguard the cultural identity even as it has developed new musical expressions. There are scarcely new artists who represent this intersection of tradition and Christian faith as well as Otolorin Oluwasegun Michael, or Mr Skylark, as he is commonly called. Mr Skylark is an independent musician who is extremely attached to Juju music and Gospel, he has also created an artistic identity based on the traditional Yoruba rhythms, live music and instrumentation and faith messages.
The introduction of the Gospel music space, through the release of the concert, Make a Joyful Noise, was a major step towards his entry. The Gospel performance, held under the banner of Mr Skylark Entertainment, was a milestone in his development as a Gospel performer and a way of him expressing his wish of using music as not an entertainment tool, but a tool through which audiences could celebrate faith, culture and community.
The concept, “Make a Joyful Noise” united the Gospel music, live performance and unique rhythmic language that comes along with Juju. Instead of abandoning musical traditions which influenced him, Mr Skylark tried to transfer them to the Christian environment. The outcome was a model that enabled the co-existence of the familiar Yoruba musical elements, live-band performance, and Gospel themes in the same artistic space.
Another aspect of his dedication to live music that was shown in the concert is that he considers live music to be an important aspect of his art. Mr Skylark was host and performer, and Amb. Segun Nabi was invited as a guest artist together with other artists and performers. It was staged as the first season of the Living Voice Mega Praise Concert, the theme of which was Make a Joyful Noise. Its idea embodied the main theme of the musical direction of Mr Skylark, joyful faith-based music, but without losing the cultural essence of Nigerian indigenous sound.
Juju is not just a type of music to Mr Skylark. It is a significant element of the Yoruba cultural expression, especially regarding its rhythmic, percussion, call-answer and live instrumentation. His work on the Gospel shows how these aspects can be integrated into modern Christian music without giving up on their cultural roots.
This unique style has become a major aspect of his art. Mr Skylark does not just perform Gospel music in the traditional contemporary Gospel style, but he uses the musical language of Juju in his music. His music thus takes an interesting niche between native Nigerian music and contemporary Gospel, where he is able to convey Christian messages using a sound that will still be recognisable as being directly related to Yoruba musical heritage.
Live-band leadership and performance has also been closely related to his development. Since he started his career as a solo artist, he has performed with musicians, arranged rehearsals and created live performances that aim at immersing the audiences into the music. His association with the Promiseland Choir as a lead singer, reinforced his association with the Gospel music and live singing.
This journey is important not just in the individual songs or performances but also in the artistic direction that Mr Skylark has been able to leave. His piece shows how a young Nigerian musician can build on the local musical heritage, yet create a modern Gospel identity. By doing so, he helps the ongoing development of Juju music and shows that traditional Nigerian sounds can be still used in the contemporary faith-based music.
The concert “Make a Joyful Noise” can be, therefore, regarded as a significant step in this process. It offered a platform where Mr Skylark was able to officially unite his interest in Gospel music, live performance and Yoruba musical heritage. The event also laid the groundwork to future works as he proceeded to create music and performances that would border on the convergence of Juju, Gospel and modern Nigerian entertainment.
It is this unique fusion that continues to be the artistic identity of Mr Skylark today. He largely bases his approach on the idea that cultural heritage and expression of contemporary Gospel need not exist in isolation. By the music he gives, live shows and the further collaboration with musicians, he tries to prove that the rhythms and traditions of Yoruba music may have some messages of Christian faith and still be able to reach modern people.
Amidst a music scene in Nigeria that is swiftly shifting towards global influences, musicians like Mr Skylark provide an alternative voice: one that looks backward, yet forwards in the creative direction. His Juju Gospel style gives him an avenue to revere the Yoruba musical legacy and pass messages of faith and make traditional instrumentation the core of his music.
His Make a Joyful Noise program was an early and important manifestation of that vision and laid the artistic groundwork of the Juju Gospel sound in which he is gradually becoming recognised.
