Music is the food to the soul, and it transcends different cultures and languages. Music has several purposes: storytelling, entertainment purposes, and educational purposes. Many processes and individuals are instrumental in the creation of music. However, the main factor in the success of any music is the artist. There are countless singers in this world that I like for distinct reasons. Accordingly, I will like to use this opportunity granted by @steem-bangladesh to shine a light on my favorite singer called Kirk Dewayne Franklin, a gospel musician whose input to modern gospel music is unmatched.
Brought up by Gertrude, his aunt, in Texas after he was abandoned as a child by his biological mother, Kirk Franklin grew up learning how to play instruments like a piano at a very tender age. Kirk got so good at music that he was permitted to join his church choir at age 11. Kirk Franklin is a decorated singer with several awards, including sixteen Grammy Awards. Aside those, he has also bagged many awards from Dove Awards, Stellar Awards, and sundry. Over the years, Kirk Franklin has been one of the best-selling contemporary gospel musicians, selling more than millions of copies of his albums. Amazingly, his talent is not restricted solely to music. He is also an author, a songwriter, a philanthropist, a choir director, and even more.
Kirk Franklin’s music is particularly outstanding because he uses scriptures from the Word of God to offer hope to the hopeless. His songs are the go-to songs for the heartbroken and those in despair. Inspirational songs aside, Kirk unarguably has great praises and energetic contemporary gospel songs, widely sung and played in churches and Christian functions for entertainment. His music attracts people of all manner: both the young and old. His music has the power of restoring the lost to Christ. Hence, since the emergence of Kirk Franklin in the music industry, several other artists have also followed suit.
To the untrained ear, Kirk’s music may not be different from rap songs. He preaches the gospel through hip-hop-themed beats. His unconventional approach has helped diversified the music genre of Christians.
Furthermore, Kirk Franklin proves to be more than just a musician. He has hosted and co-produced many TV shows and series. Kirk is a book writer as well. In 2010, he released his book entitled The Blueprint, in which he discussed his life experiences ranging from family issues to his addictions.
Kirk is married to Tammy Collins and has two biological kids together, but they have four children in total as each partner had a child from their previous relationships.
Another trait about Kirk Franklin that I love is that he is committed to charity foundations. He has contributed meaningfully to organizations such as the Children’s Defense Fund, World Vision, and many others. Kirk even served as an ambassador for some of these charities. These acts show how kind-hearted he is. As a human, Kirk Franklin is not blameless. He has some bad records out there, but he is still a force to reckon with- especially in the contemporary gospel genre.
Gospel songs made by Kirk Franklin keeps on changing lives for the better. His music has impacted and empowered me in several ways. Therefore, it is due to the cited reasons and more that I consider him my favorite singer. Thanks for reading.