Afrobeats and Fuji singer Adekunle Gold has opened up about how his passion for music began unexpectedly through a church choir, despite growing up in a Muslim family.
The singer shared the story during an appearance on the One54 Africa podcast, which aired on September 10, 2026, where he spoke about his childhood, family background and early exposure to music.
Adekunle Gold revealed that both of his parents were Muslims. However, he said his father was open-minded about religion and allowed him and his siblings to attend church.
“My dad was a Muslim. My mom was a Muslim, I grew up, but my dad somehow allowed us to go to church,” he said.
“He was a liberal man. He believed; he always said that he believes religion is an education. Like, you learn. There are things to pick from each religion, you know.”
According to the singer, his time in church eventually played a major role in developing his love for music.
He recalled becoming fascinated by the teenage choir members who led praise and worship during Sunday services. Adekunle Gold said he desperately wanted to become one of those leaders but was repeatedly overlooked.
“I wanted to be that guy so bad, and it never happened for me,” he admitted.
“I was in the church for 11 years, and they didn’t think I was good enough to be that guy.”
Rather than giving up, the rejection motivated him to put more effort into rehearsals in the hope that the choir leaders would eventually recognise his talent.
Adekunle Gold explained that what attracted him most was the way the choir leaders were able to engage and control the congregation through music.
“They knew how to move the crowd, control the crowd. I was fascinated by that,” he said.
He also credited an aunt who lived with his family for helping to shape his musical ability. According to him, she was a choir member who would regularly teach him and his siblings different vocal harmonies, including the alto part.
However, despite helping him develop his singing skills, his aunt could also be quite critical of his voice.
“The same person that taught me how to sing would tell me, ‘You sound annoying.’ I can’t even win, bro.”
Despite the criticism and his inability to secure the choir position he desired, Adekunle Gold said he remained certain about his love for music.
“I just knew that I loved to sing. I knew that I was interested, and that drove me… here,” he said.
His years in the church eventually became an important foundation for his musical journey. He reportedly wrote his first song at about 15 and later performed with church-related groups and early bands.
His career gained wider attention in 2014 following the release of his highlife cover of “Sade,” which helped establish him as one of Nigeria’s notable contemporary music acts.
See post below: