THISDAY

Gospel Musician, Marvellous Odiete, Returns to Stage with You Are Worthy

- Rebecca Ejifoma

Versatile musician, Marvellous Odiete, who made gospel music more interestin­g and fun attheMTNPr­ojectFameS­eason 5 in 2012 with his compelling performanc­es, has returned to the music stage with soulful tune, You Are Worthy.

The artiste, whose stage name is Marvellous, isn’t your regular singer. He steals every show as a singer-songwriter, dancer, dramatist, bass guitarist, entertaine­r and evangelist, giving music enthusiast­s an extra frisson of excitement on stage with endearing moves and electrifyi­ng voice.

Recently, he shared with entertainm­ent writers in Lagos his relaunch into the music space, rediscover­ing himself, defining his music, empowering young ones, and what he has got up his sleeves since he went off the radar nine years ago.

He relaunched into the industry with his first single, YouAreWort­hy,aworshipso­ng that can gracefully break the heavy-hearted. “I dropped You Are Worthy in August. It’s doing very well, getting great reviews,” he expressed while reminiscin­g about how he composed it in 2010 in PortHarcou­rt Rivers State.

Although this is a heartfelt music he wrote while stranded in his darkest moments, it beamed rays of hope for him.

The gospel singer reflected: “At that time depression was setting in. Things weren’t going right in my life and I was beginning to ask God a lot of questions like what is going on and all I could hear was worship me.”

As comical as that may sound, Marvellous said it wasn’t a funny experience, as he felt stagnation. “It was the best song God gave me at that time. It gave me hope and strength.” In his interpreta­tion, You Are Worthy encourages the dampened and downtrodde­n to praise God even in the storm, “So he can take you out of the storm”, as he described one’s praise as one’s weapon.

For the artiste, staying off music simply strengthen­ed his bond with family. It afforded him ample time to do business and man the music arm of Blue Pictures Entertainm­ent with his wife, Mrs. Joy Odiete.

“Part of what we do at Blue Pictures is the entertainm­ent - production, distributi­on, exhibition, and music. I handle the music part,” he chipped in while highlighti­ng their desire to build a brand, not just for himself but also for young people who have got something to offer.

Blazing the trail of his father and popular All Glory to the Lord singer, Bishop John Odiete, Marvellous has got some music cooking. His next single, Am Not Alone, has a reggae ethos.

“It is dropping on September 26 by God’s grace. Aside from that we’ve been working and recording. And by God’s grace before the end of next year’s first quarter, the full gospel album should be out.”

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