Embattled Gospel singer Aline Gahongayire has granted permission to all bars and clubs to play her music as a way of preaching the word of God to many. Normally gospel songs are played in churches or other places of praise and worship, including scheduled concerts.
For Gahongayire, this has not been the case with her recent hit song Ndanyuzwe (I Appreciate) which has over 2million views on her youtube channel. The singer told KTRadio the weekend that her song has been rocking hearts of bar-goers and club revelers which impressed her to rethink ways of reaching many people through her songs.
“I have been receiving feedback of people in bars and dance halls celebrating my song- Ndanyuzwe whenever played in such places where one can least imagine,” Gahongayire said. From this turning point, Gahongayire stated that her wish is to have her songs played in bars and night clubs, which technically means a waiver to claims charges on abuse of intellectual property (IP).
The new IP law prohibits playing songs of artists in public places without seeking their permission or alternatively bend to paying a royalty charge that is used to support the art and music industry in Rwanda.
Gahongayire said the reason behind this kind of waiver is: “To reach out this category of people in bars who have been deprived of the Word of God, yet they also need to hear the gospel message, which can help them spiritually.”
Aline Gahongayire said that she is planning on attempting to perform in the bars and night clubs, but she is held back by the fear of being blemished by her church. In a related development, the gospel singer has also released a new song ‘Nzakomeza’ (I will go on) which she is currently promoting through media.
After spending years dropping out of the local film industry to deal with marriage issues and a hard divorce, Gahongayire also said she is planning her return to film acting and pursue professional music education to step-up her game on the international gospel scene.