YOUTHVILLE: ‘Why our music talent hunt targets youth on the streets’

A music talent hunt launched in 2016 by the Commonwealth of God Assembly (COZA) is meant to identify gifted youth and take them off the streets, the Senior Pastor, Biodun Fatoyinbo has said. Fatoyinbo who spoke recently at the launch of an album, ‘Hello World’, by the Gratitude Music Group which benefited from the hunt, […]

A music talent hunt launched in 2016 by the Commonwealth of God Assembly (COZA) is meant to identify gifted youth and take them off the streets, the Senior Pastor, Biodun Fatoyinbo has said.

Fatoyinbo who spoke recently at the launch of an album, ‘Hello World’, by the Gratitude Music Group which benefited from the hunt, said the annual hunt is open to young people across Africa.

Before launching the album, the Gratitude released a single, ‘Rabababa-eh’, which topped musical charts globally with secular songs, the organisers said.

The pastor said he decided to realise his 20 year old dream in October 2016 when he called for musical auditioning to select young people with talents for music.

“We called for people that were interested all over Nigeria. We deed a talent hunt. Those who were good, we brought them in, got them a house, got them a driver and put them on a salary. I tell you this is a way of getting people off the street,” Fatoyinbo said.

He expressed gratitude for being able to reach out to people that wouldn’t come to church through musical groups. The album which was recorded in South Africa is making wave with the group preparing for world tour, the pastor noted.