Internationally renowned worship leader Eric Reverence reconnects with his West African roots on his new single, ‘Oluwa’, out now.
It’s a simple one-word title, but it says a lot. ‘Oluwa’ (the Yoruba word for God) is an exuberant, joyful Afrobeat Gospel tune, designed to usher in 2022 on a note of thanksgiving and expectation. Eric wrote and recorded the song during a successful tour in Nigeria in November 2021.
The making of ‘Oluwa’ marks a sort of homecoming in Eric’s own personal journey. British Ghanaian-born Eric moved to Canada in 1991 and eventually to the UK in 1992, but his memories of childhood in Ghana weren’t particularly happy ones. “Life in Ghana was a huge struggle as I was always told by my teachers and headteacher that I was useless and worthless,” he recalls. Eric’s ministry as a worship leader and Gospel artist has taken him across the UK and to the USA, Ghana, Netherlands, and Latvia, but it’s always been with a more western pop sound. And then in 2020 Covid-19 struck and George Floyd was murdered. Both those events got Eric thinking that it was time for him to return to his African roots - musically at least. A tour of Nigeria followed, and the concept for ‘Oluwa’ was born. Produced by Tobass Adolphus, the song combines the sounds of the various tribes of both Nigeria and Ghana. The joy and vibrancy of the song are expressed beautifully in the accompanying video, with its breath-taking choreography, made by the Nigerian production company Justice DH Films and creative director Austine Holy.
“God has seen us through a lot in the last year,” Eric says. “Oluwa’ is a song of thanksgiving to God for what he’s brought us through, and of anticipation for what he has in store for us next.”
‘Oluwa’ is out now. For further information or to arrange interviews, contact Eric Reverence at:
• Email: reverencee@gmail.com
• Social Media: @ericrevrence
• Website: https://www.ericreverence.com
