With Logan Ti Ode, Tope Alabi reiterates music ability to evoke emotions, encourage faith

For a number of Christians, especially in the Southwest region of Nigeria, the name Tope Alabi resonates well when it comes to gospel music.

The gospel artiste of long years standing with her latest offering, Logan Ti Ode (the moment He steps in), which she released during the celebrity photographer, TY Bello’s Spontaneous Worship series, has once again proven that her music has the ability to invoke emotions and encourage faith.

With the new song, featuring TY Bello and George, the Angeli Mi (My Angel) singer, who has been on the gospel scene for the better part of the last two decades showed that she hasn’t missed a step when it comes to delivering well-crafted words of faith through music.

The lyrics of the song attest to the power of the divine as the singer talks about the mercies and wonders of God whenever He steps into a situation.

Speaking on the new song, Alabi said: “Logan Ti O De (the moment he steps in) reminds me of Genesis…God said, Let there be light, and there was light. That’s exactly what happens when we release God’s word over a situation, our lives and our nation. He steps in instantly and everything aligns with His purpose.”

The collaborative effort, which was released few days after her 48th birthday, went viral, becoming a trending topic online, sparking rave review and quickly garnering mainstream acceptance. George produced the song, while Taiwo Apatira and Adelodun Akinwale directed the music video.

Last year, TY Bello started Spontaneous Worship, a weekly worship series, and it has grown to gain the attention of people. The worship series is an unscripted, unedited, and raw expression of worship in songs to God.

Sharing the story behind the song on her Instagram page, Bello said, “For each episode, we invite a gospel singer and we worship together with the instrumentalists.

The latest edition, which featured Tope Alabi, and her rendition of the song, Logan Ti O De, which means ‘the moment God stepped in’, was powerful and uplifting.

“I got urgent word from Apostle Obi Pax-Harry @obiipaxharry to release the songs from our spontaneous worship session with Tope Alabi. The urgency first came from Lanre Olusola @lanreolusola with this command: ‘those songs have to be released now!.

“I was wondering why God would bring these urgent messages in Yoruba language when Nigeria has over 520 different languages. I however knew this wasn’t by accident; we are a speaking nation each dialect carrying a ‘redemptive purpose’ as @obiipaxharry put it,” Bello added.

As soon as the song was uploaded on YouTube it within 24 hours had over 50, 000 views. “This is just a seed awakening everyone to the power and beauty of our diverse expressions of worship.

“Tope Alabi carries a powerful mantle and great depths in using Yoruba language in songs. It’s was an incredible experience making music with her; every sentence out of her mouth made us feel like this is why God crafted this language,” Bello explained.

She continued: “It is one thing to go through troubled waters but it hurts more when people define you by your troubles. But God is the one that has put power in his words to rename you and turn everything around in a heartbeat!

“This song brings tears to my eyes because it is my personal story and clearly it is sister Tope’s too. It is a song of hope, an anthem for anyone who is desperate for an intervention. It brings true relief to know that God is willing and able to bring one your way. The moment he steps in, everything changes, even your name.”

According to Bello, Yoruba is a very interesting language, one word can have varying meanings but this is not peculiar to Yoruba. 
With eleven albums: Oore Ti O Common, Certificate, Agbara Olorun and Agbara Re Ni, Kokoro Igbala, Angeli mi, Mori’Yanu, Agbelebu, Alagbara, Oruko TunTun, and over 350 soundtracks credited to her name, Tope Alabi alongside Shola Allison has carved a niche for themselves with the way they improved the sound quality and original music content used in most movies, particularly the Yoruba flicks.

Born October 27, Tope Alabi’s love for the art dates back to the late 80s, when she joined Jesters International Comedy group that had Jacob, Papilolo and Aderupoko as members to pursue her dreams as an actress.

As one of the most successful contemporary gospel artistes of her generation, and despite singing largely in Yoruba language, she has also made the transition to performing at predominantly English speaking audiences, including the last edition of The Experience concert, an event organised by House on The Rock.