Faith Child joined Nihal Arthanayake on BBC Radio 5 Live to Guest Edit the first hour, and asked the question: 'Is it time to embrace celibacy as a lifestyle choice?' Being a celibate virgin and waiting for marriage, Faith explores the question with guests, looking at the pros and cons of living a celibate life.
Listen back to the full discussion here:
FAITH CHILD is back with the music video for his exciting new single titled ‘That Was Then’, which is taken from his forthcoming third studio album. This new single comes on the back of an extensive 18-month world tour, spanning over 12 countries and four continents, following the success of his 2015 sophomore album Airborne, which debuted in the top 5 of the UK Christian and Gospel album chart.
Produced by Alex E, who has previously worked with Tinchy Stryder and is a frequent collaborator with super producer and DJ Blinkie, ‘That Was Then’ is a bass-heavy electronic rap track, inspired by Faith Child’s Croydon hometown and the fast-paced buzz of the London borough, over which the British Nigerian native pays homage to the ‘ends’ that raised him, upholds his Christian faith, and celebrates the journey from “where we used to be, to where we are now”.
For the ‘That Was Then’ video, Faith Child has linked up with acclaimed London video director Chas Appeti, whose previous directorial credits include working with Krept & Konan, Giggs, and Lethal Bizzle, among others, to delivery a gritty high octane visual element, which not only brings the record further to life, but also captures the community essence of London living, from kids playing on the block, to the customary congregation at Morley’s after school, to water gun fights at the park.
Speaking about the inspiration behind ‘That Was Then’ and its visuals, Faith Child says, “it’s always a joy to be able to encourage young people with the fact that we all make mistakes, but we can learn from them, do better and move on with life – that was then and this is now, so let’s make the best of the opportunities in front of us. As for the video, it was only right I shot it in Croydon, it has nostalgic elements from my childhood that anyone raised in London will identify with”.
BUY/STREAM ‘THAT WAS THEN’: http://hyperurl.co/FC-TWT
Faith Child is back with his new high energy single That Was Then, fusing hard hitting lyrics with a gritty beat and hometown nostalgia.
Having been extensively touring, the new single follows his sophomore album Airborne, which peaked at number 5 in the Official Charts - Christian and Gospel. The last 18 months have seen the South London rapper perform in 18 countries to fans, music lovers and even dignitaries, such as the Mayor of London, serving as a backboard for him to pen his experiences and findings as he works on his third studio album.
“That Was Then was inspired by my hometown Croydon, South London! I started out rapping on 140BPM Garage beats and having come back home following spending a lot of time touring abroad, I wanted to do an ode to my 'ends'. The song is fast paced similar to where I live and celebrates the journey from where we used to be, to where we are now. Everything old, God is making new! Across many cities, I’ve had some really insightful and touching conversation after my performances and appearances, and self harm and guilt often pops up in conversations. It’s always a joy to be able to encourage people with the fact that we all make mistakes, but we can learn from them, do better and move on with life - that was then and this is now, so make the best of the opportunities in front of you.
The music video will be out in a couples weeks and it was only right I shot it in Croydon. It has nostalgic elements from my childhood that anyone raised in the 2000’s era will be able to identify with. I’m just excited to be releasing music again” says Faith Child.
With the growing popularity of mainstream artists embracing their faith in their music, That Was Thenhas great mass appeal as it gives the listener substance on a gritty beat.
Listen to That Was Then here: HTTPS://SOUNDCLOUD.COM/FAITHCHILD/THAT-WAS-THEN-PREVIEW
Buy/Stream on your favourite digital store: HTTP://HYPERURL.CO/FC-TWT
Faith Child paid a visit to Malawi in southeast Africa and filmed a music video to his song ‘Our Father’ from his album ‘Airborne’.
Having flown to Malawi with relief and development charity, Tearfund, the South London rapper was inspired by the richness amongst ‘poverty’.
“You can do your best to capture it on camera, but nothing quite beats experiencing it first hand” says Faith Child. “It was beautiful to see that despite the Malawians in the Salima region might not have been rich financially, they were rich in culture and community. In filming the music video, I was intentional in showing a different side to Africa, than that which is commonly shown in the media. I wanted to show the joy and happiness, and reinforce that you don’t need to have lots of things to make the best of life. At times, we can get caught up in building currency and not character.”
Tearfund supports eight local partners working across 16 districts in Malawi, resourcing them to offer lasting transformation to communities. Currently, Tearfund supports 11,500 households with a variety of activities that ensure households are resilient to climate change and have enough food for their families.
Faith Child has been a musician who sees the importance of using his platform as a voice for the silenced, whether it be by doing school workshops and talks, sleeping homeless to raise money and awareness about homelessness in the UK or hosting social awareness events like the ‘#276LikeMe’ prayer event he organised for the Chibok girls abducted in northern Nigeria.
“I’m all about making my impact greater than my lifespan, whilst doing the very things I love. ‘Our Father’ is a song about prayer and seeing better days ahead, and I strongly believe in matching my faith with my actions. We might not all be able to sit on executive boards or walk down corridors of power, but we sure can change the world one person at a time by being a little less selfish and bit more selfless”.
Having visited and performed in Nigeria multiple times, Faith has been able to connect to Africa and see it for what it truly is, an affluent resource-rich continent.
“Being of Nigerian descent, I always heard my mum and relatives speak of how great Nigeria was but I never saw that portrayed in the media, which has given me a drive and passion to change the narrative. Similar to every country, there are impoverished and less developed parts of Africa, but if ever we need to show that, let us do it with dignity and show the joy, happiness and rich culture, as opposed to the one sided negative image we’re constantly shown. I truly believe that there is a way to empower those less fortunate without compromising their honour. That is what I stand for and I am calling for others to do so too.”
In a quest to empower those less fortunate, Faith Child stands in support of Tearfund to bring help to communities around the world escape the very worst effects of poverty and disaster. To find out more about the work of Tearfund and join them in empowering communities across the world, visit their website: HTTPS://WWW.TEARFUND.ORG/
During Faith Child's recent tour to Slovenia, he met with their President, Borut Pahor. Faith was on Slovenia tour with motivational speaker Nick Vujicic. Nic championed putting a stop to bullying, as well as using his story about life without limbs to show how you can live a life without limits.
"Slovenia as got to be one of my favourite countries that I have visited to date. Warm people, great views and an awesome reception for my first visit. Their President is pretty cool, I offered to take him out for tea when next he's in London! Can't wait to come back. The tour team worked so hard and I'm super proud of them and Nick's story is mind-blowing. Such an inspiration." said Faith.
Faith has plans to come back to Slovenia, so watch this place.
Faith Child and with band with the Slovenia President, Borut Phar.
Faith Child and the band with Nick Vujicic
On Tuesday 27th October, Faith Child was announced as MOBO Best Gospel Act at the first ever MOBO Awards pre-show.
“I’m excited and humbled to have won MOBO Best Gospel Act! Everything happened so fast, one minute I was performing and then the minutes later I had been announced as the winner, it took a while to sink in. Thank you to everyone that has supported me along my journey. It’s been a long time coming, delay is not denial and God’s timing is best.” says Faith Child about the MOBO win.
The star studded night celebrated Gospel, R&B/Soul and Jazz, announcing the winners of the 3 categories and featured stellar performances. As well as winning MOBO Best Gospel Act, Faith Child also gave a crowd rousing performance of his hit song ‘Over Me’, just moments before his win.
Faith’s MOBO win follows extensive touring and the success of his sophomore album Airborne, which peaked at number 5 in the UK Official Charts - Christian and Gospel.
Look out for Faith Child these coming months!
Faith Child land's a spot in the OFFICIAL CHARTS with Airborne! The sophomore release spent multiple weeks in the charts contending with some heavy weights and peaked at number 5, in the Official Charts - Christian and Gospel. "I'm stoked to have my music appear in the Official Charts! Big thanks to everyone that bought the album and supported it by telling a friend, sharing a post and following me on this musical journey. We're just getting started!", says Faith.
Get your copy of Airborne on all good digital stores and physical copies from Amazon.
