Multiple-award-winning Ghanaian musician Joseph Matthew has clarified that he is an Afrofusion artiste, not an Afro-Gospel musician.
Over the years, the UK-based artiste has been widely labelled a gospel act due to the spiritual themes in hit tracks such as Blessed, The Name, Hallelujah, My Story, Nyame Ye, Fear No Evil, and Promise Land.
In 2025, he further diversified his sound by releasing the reggae-infused track Love In You.
Speaking in an interview with Accra-based Hot 93.9FM, Joseph Matthew set the record straight about his musical identity.
“I am not a gospel musician; I am an Afrofusion artiste. ‘Afrocentric’ means you are fusing multiple styles, but the base of the music is African. It is a combination of different genres rooted in African sound.”
He further explained that ‘gospel’ refers to the message rather than a rigid musical style.
“The word gospel means ‘Good News,’ but I’m not a gospel artiste. The message can be found in any genre—you can do Hip-hop or Highlife and still deliver a gospel message.”
He further emphasised that confining himself to the gospel genre limits his creative freedom.
To illustrate his point, he cited secular heavyweights like Shatta Wale and Sarkodie, noting that while they have released songs with gospel-themed messages, they are never boxed in as gospel artistes.
Joseph Matthew will on July 7 release his maiden song for 2026, dubbed ‘Walk’.
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