Following his commitment to the gospel music industry, Emmanuel Olowoyeye, popularly known as Empraiz, was recently awarded with an honorary Doctor of Church Music and Worship by Mainseed University, Atlanta, Georgia.

Olowoyeye, often called The Praise Bishop, was also honoured with the Global Fellowship in Leadership Principles, which has come to further mark him as not just a music artiste, but also a professional, who stands out from the crowd.

Speaking on the recognition, Olowoyeye said: “The Honorary Doctorate Award is a testament to my work and contribution to the gospel music industry globally. But it has been over 36 years as a musician, director, pastor, singer and instrumentalist. With all these heights achieved and accolades, it truly shows how far we have come and more waiting in line.”

He said his music has been a blessing to many over the years, impacting and transforming their lives by strongly encouraging their Christian faith.

Over the years, Olowoyeye has continued to maintain his local and global appeal as his unique genre of music and his passionate renditions of songs signals him off his contemporary.

He assured gospel music fans that in 2026, there would be a lot more to experience in his artistic delivery, which is a “flavour and blend of genres as well as local languages which gives richness to his sound.”

He said as much as his music has shown his passion, the award also is timely as it shows his impact on the music scene, and how he is identified as a figure to be learnt from when it comes to Christian music. “It’s indeed a remarkable height and one worth appraisals,” he said.