Joyous Celebration founder talks about making uplifting music after a hard year

While the global pandemic may have left it's mark on Joyous Celebration — as a group and as individuals — one of the founders, Jabu Hlongwane, has shared how “God's grace and the testimonies” have helped them create Joyous Celebration 25 — Still We Rise.

The co-founder explained that Covid-19 and the difficulties of 2020 hit the group hard but  he was grateful they still managed to put together a new album that was recorded live.

Jabu opened up about how JC dealt with the challenges they met.

“Covid hit us not only as a group but as individuals. In fact, we had to close the office because there was nothing to do there. The people that work at the office have to do things connected to the shows but there were no shows, so we had to close down and go home.”

The group gifted their fans with their 25th instalment, titled Still We Rise, which was recorded at the Joburg Theatre. Far different from how they had recorded their music in the past two decades or so, JC recorded this project under strict Covid-19 protocols. There was no audience, only the group, their songs and testimonies.

“A lot of us, the singers, the band and the staff had to find ways in our own little corners to survive. It was sad and for us, the company, it was hard because as we struggled in our corners, we wondered how the rest of the choir was doing and how they were surviving. We found out when we asked that they were holding up somehow and for that we thank God. We thank God for helping us come out on the other side,” Jabu told TshisaLIVE.

Jabu explained that Joyous Celebration music works because the group realised early on they would be able to appeal to a broader audience if they didn't stray too far from home.

The way they package known or traditional songs in a revamped, modern way attracts both young and old people.

However, the co-founder reckoned that the success of their latest project would come from how relatable the songs, lyrics and melodies would be for people all over the world, having survived 2020.

“What is different about the album is the circumstance that prevailed during the putting together of the album. Like any artist, when you create work, you create work based on where you are, what you are experiencing, what you are seeing, what you are feeling ...

“And having gone through the whole of last year basically trying to survive and to have actually got to a point where you can say 'OK, we have survived and there's hope that we can go on but we've got scratches and wounds and emotional stuff going on because of the losses we've suffered and such ...' Those are the circumstance under which this project was made. So the songs come from there, from that space and that comes through in the songs as people listen ...”

25 years later, JC is considered to be one of the best gospel groups to come out of Africa and now their reach has even bigger thanks to their strategic international moves.

The gospel powerhouse group recently bagged an international distribution deal when they signed to Universal Music Africa which now sees them have backing from top US based label Motown Gospel, which will release the group’s music in the US and Canada.

Joyous Celebration 25 — Still We Rise is available on all digital platforms.