Where in the World? is the exciting weekly live series from A Step FWD which interviews individuals in the global music scene to “bring the world a little closer home”. Conversations touch on each guest’s culture and include facts about food, local sights and the faith behind their art.
In last week’s episode, led by our host Carla Adebekun, we met two different artists in Aasha Marie (Chicago, Illinois) and DappyTKeys (Ottawa, Canada).
Aasha Marie is a rapper, singer, songwriter and poet who has made waves with socially conscious and faith-inspired over the years. Her impact has also been felt in the Chicago community where she works alongside young people.
DappyTKeys (Tim Oladeru) is a worshipper and musician who has been consistently sharing his piano instrumentals music on his YouTube channel, DappyTKeys Piano Worship, in 2011. His YouTube channel is currently the number 1 Christian piano instrumental channel on YouTube with over 930,000 subscribers and more than 250 million views.
The conversation was lively and brought a lot of quotes to keep in mind:
“Keep it simple and have a purity of heart.” – DappyTKeys
“Nothing made me feel more alive than music” – Aasha Marie
“Somebody was able to sleep for the longest time they have in 3 years because of my music” – DappyTKeys
“I was so shy as a child, I Never thought that I would be in the forefront…but God does amazing things and I’m honored.” – Aasha Marie
“My music is in your space but I’m not there. I really want you to feel the presence of God and create his atmosphere around you.” – DappyTKeys
“Using my gift brings me so much satisfaction….this is my sacrifice to the Lord and to point people to God. In the midst of my weakness God will show up mighty and strong.” – Aasha Marie
Both, Aasha Marie and DappyTKeys shared their personal insecurities. DappyTKeys shared his doubts in regards to his talent and how God gave him the grace to grow in his gifting after an encounter with God’s word. He humbly expressed how God’s word stirred him in the right direction. He went on and told his personal testimony of how he sang a song by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir titled Use Me and used the song as his prayer. The next day he was led to read the story of David and Saul; 1 Samuel 16:23 – And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp. Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit would go away. Simultaneously, Aasha Marie shared her health challenges in regard to her voice. She went on to express how scripture encouraged her to continue despite the challenges; 2 Corinthians 12:9 -but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Different artists from different walks of life however they share a common goal of creating a daily atmosphere of worship through music and song. Closing notes were Keep it simple and have a purity of heart and God will give us the grace for what he has called us to accomplish if we follow through with obedience. Both artists have projects out on the 18th of November, 2022!! Aasha Marie is releasing her brand new EP Signs of Life whilst DappyTKeys is releasing his Christmas album. Both projects will be available on all music streaming platforms.
Catch the FULL EPISODE HERE and special thanks to our guest. Follow us at @astepfwd for the next “Where In The World?”
