Cameroon-based Gospel singer, Geni, is about to release a brand-new single Be Thou Glorified — her first new music release since her debut album Devoted.
Devoted, a 6-track album, combining great music with heartfelt lyrics, gave her the platform to follow her dreams and showcase herself to the world.
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Be Thou Glorified was born out of inspiration and spontaneity.
“I was asked to sing at a church concert, but I don’t normally sing anything other than my own tracks, and hadn’t prepared anything, but about a week before the programme, while I was helping them prepare for it, I just suddenly sang the chorus of Be Thou Glorified.
“As usual, I reached for my phone and recorded it. Two days later, I wrote the verse and I had a song to minister with at the show. Now I am ready to release it into the universe and God will take it where it needs to go.”
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Born Ejenyi Souma Genevieve Mireille, but known to most people as Genevieve Souma and fondly called Mimi by her friends and family, the Cameroonian-born artist is the oldest of three children, raised by their mother, a single parent.
Geni had a deep love for music from an early age. Due to the husky hoarse sound of her vocals, she was never encouraged to follow music but she refused to be deterred. Her passion for music in general and Gospel music in particular was reinforced while she was a student of Saker Baptist College in Limbe, Cameroon.
Music was such a big part of life at the all-girls’ school; they sang at every opportunity.
“We would sing in the chapel, in the dormitory, while in the queue for roll call, during our free periods, in the refectory when meals got delayed, during preps when the power would go out ….we always found an excuse or a reason to sing,” says Geni.
Enthralled by the voices and compositions of some of her class and school mates, Geni later found the courage to try singing in a choir and joined the junior choir at her home church congregation. A couple of years later, she joined the Youth Aglow choir, One Voice.
Here choir members were encouraged to write songs and teach them to the choir. This led to the very first song she wrote in 2003, titled Praise To Our God; she was thrilled when the song was recorded by One Voice.
Geni has succeeded in bringing together her passion and reverence for God, and her love for music into a worship experience — just the kind of mix those who like contemporary Gospel music are looking for.
Heavily influenced by artists Don Moen, Sinach and Nathaniel Bassey, Fanny Crosby the hymn writer (1820 – 1915), Dolly Parton (whose Gospel songs are just too real and too true), Abigail Philip and Brian Aboringong, Geni combines traditional Gospel with current sounds.
“Dolly Parton has been my all-time favourite artist in the art of song writing. Her lyrics are deep, meaningful, relatable, true and usually touch the deepest parts of my heart. If I ever get to convey my praise, belief and faith in God in song like Dolly Parton conveys meaning in her lyrics, then I know I would have achieved so much as an artist and as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through song.”
When asked where her inspiration comes from, Geni said:“I do believe that every song I have written so far has been the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It always just feels like God tells me to write the song down as though He is dictating it to me.”
Be Thou Glorified was recorded in Cameroon and engineered by Ngale Timothy and Emile Ngumbah, at M1 Studios in Buea, Cameroon.
When asked about her mission and passions for this single and her music, Geni comments – “I want to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through my songs, I want to reach out to as many people as I can with my songs so that through the message in them, I can help them see and experience for themselves this God who I have come to love so much.”
Listen to ‘Be Thou Glorified’:
Be Thou Glorified will be the first single from a selection of new singles leading up to a new album soon.
Geni calls herself a worshipper, a simple girl whose desire is to pour her heart out to God and bring Him pleasure through her music.
Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeniSouma
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/genigospel/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genevieve_souma_/
https://www.facebook.com/genysouma
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg-xnlWR3FgZSCbt_zBoDNQ?view_as=subscriber
