A MUSICAL AND THEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF GAISE BABAS MUSIC "NO TURNING BACK", AND ITS EDUCATIONAL RELEVANCE.

This article examines Gaisebaba's composition, "NO TURNING BACK," an Afrogospel piece that integrates Yoruba, English, and Pidgin English. The study provides a theological and musical analysis, focusing on lyrical content, theological interpretation, educational and societal relevance, melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic style, and meter. The findings indicate that the music serves as a significant example of contextualized worship within contemporary Nigerian Christianity. The study aims to investigate how Gaisebaba's adaptation of the hymn "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" conveys Christian theological messages through modern Afro-gospel expressions, drawing on theories of ethnomusicology, theology, performance, and African cultural studies. Analysing the musical and textual framework employed for contextualization, and assessing the educational and societal relevance of the music among contemporary Nigerian Christian youth. The central research questions guiding this inquiry are: (1) In what ways does Gaisebaba's "NO TURNING BACK" reinterpret the original hymn, "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" for a contemporary African audience? (2) What are the musical and theological features that distinguish this adaptation within the broader landscape of Nigerian gospel music? (3) How does the piece serve as a model for contextualized, culturally resonant worship practices? The study concludes that Gaisebaba's syncretic compositional strategy resonates with Gen Z ideology, reinforcing the gospel through Afropop genres popular amongst youths.