Gospel music was once confined to altars and pulpits. Today, it’s trending on TikTok, blasting in clubs, and slipping into wedding playlists. What was sacred is now swimming in uncharted secular waters.

Kenya’s gospel star Jabidii dropped Zungusha earlier this year. The song was meant to lift worshippers with a simple praise move for believers. But once it hit TikTok, the beat stopped being holy. Within weeks, the dance was completely mutated. Body rolls, twerks, and cheeky spins took centre stage. What started in church aisles ended up in nightclubs countrywide.

Jabidii’s viral post sealed the shift, pointing out in disbelief, “Mumesema wimbo ni yangu, dance ni yenyu.” Translation? “The song may be mine, but the dance is all yours.” Gospel had officially gone rogue.

From pew praise to party floors

TikTok loves audacity. And so, Zungusha became remix fodder. Boys in dusty slippers filmed themselves in rural Bumala. City girls swayed hips to it. Others dove straight into routines that would make any Sunday school teacher nervous.

This isn’t isolated. Data shows gospel-inspired challenges are up 35% in 2025. The faithful call it dilution. Creators call it content. Either way, the numbers don’t lie: gospel is crossing lines it never imagined.

The gospel dilemma

Streams are soaring. But in Christian spaces, debates rage. Is this outreach or outright compromise? One online critic asked: “If a praise song ends up as a twerk anthem, can it still win souls?”

This is the tension. Gospel music wants to stay pure. Yet the internet rewards clout, not sanctity. And the more viral the content, the further it drifts from the altar.

Kenya has always blurred sacred and secular. Khaligraph mixes proverbs with rap. Sauti Sol layers harmonies with spirituality. But TikTok has turbo-charged this blur. Algorithms don’t care if a beat is holy or unholy. If it’s catchy, it trends.

Gospel is no exception. Songs meant for praise are reborn as memes, dance crazes, and viral skits.

Here’s the twist. Gospel music is no longer confined to churches. It’s now currency on social feeds, fuel for influencers, and background noise for questionable places. Depending on who you ask, this is cultural evolution or spiritual erosion.

Either way, the drift is undeniable. Gospel has waded into secular waters, and the tide is carrying it fast.