By Benjamin Njoku
A rising gospel singer, Roland Matthew, popularly known as Just Roland has expressed his desire to explore different music genres beyond contemporary gospel.
In a chat with NollyNow, Just Roland said he wants to break free from being labeled solely as a gospel artist, instead aiming to blend his faith-based message with various music genres, including Afro-beat, to reach a wider audience.
As a rising gospel singer, Just Roland doesn’t want to be limited to one genre, believing that the message of Christ can be conveyed through different styles of music. He wants to use various genres to connect with different audiences and generations, feeling as led by the spirit.
Despite exploring different genres, Just Roland emphasizes that the message of Christ will remain central to his music. “I do not want to be boxed in as a contemporary gospel singer. I can embrace any genre of music, provided I still have the message of Christ in it. If I get an Afro-beat song right now and I’m led by the spirit that this song is for a particular audience and generation, I will infuse the message of Christ into that sound just to reach out to a wider audience,” he said.
Just Roland, who started singing in the choir at the age of 5, said after his encounter with Christ, he realized that music would be the tool he needed to spread the gospel of salvation.
“Being a universal language, I thought about incorporating the message of love of Christ based on how I felt it into my song and my sound, so that when people listen to the song, they are not only listening to the sound, but they are also feeling it,” Just Roland added.
The Abia State-born singer, who released his debut single in 2021, featuring ace-comedian Akporo, described his latest single, ‘Forever Loved’ as “contemporary gospel song.” He added that the single which was dropped early last month, and currently available on all digital platforms was conceived to prove to everyone that the love of God is not temporary but everlasting.
According to Just Roland, “Forever Love tour” is due to kick off this month and will run till December. The six-month tour will take off in Lagos before moving to Abuja and Port-Harcourt. In-between the tour, he plans to drop another single titled,”Be Glorified.”
The post I want to explore different genres beyond contemporary gospel – Just Roland appeared first on Vanguard News.
