BREAKING NEWS: IRENE LOGAN FOR GOSPEL?

News making waves across Ghana’s gospel music circuit has it that Afro-pop and R&B songstress, Irene Logan (winner of Stars of the Future 1) has become born again and will make shocking switch onto a strictly gospel and motivational music trail very soon. She is due to give a full account of what necessitated her re-direction in life this Sunday, 16th October at 4pm during a concert. The said concert will be hosted in the plush 5000-seater CEM Auditorium, North Legon, Accra, located within the environs of Atomic Junction and Legon Botanical Gardens.

Sources close to Irene Logan confirmed that she has been born-again to this writer when efforts to reach the talented singer became fraught with her frequent travels out of town over the last two weeks. ‘You should expect that Irene will still be in music and produce better music than she is noted for, however, she wants to be a positive model for her generation and as such the content of her music and all that will come with it will be very positive and devoid of anything that might have negative impact on people. She will do very positive music which will include gospel and motivational music and when inspired by God, will churn out love songs but love songs with a difference,’ a very close source to the songstress said.

Surprisingly, the entertainment media has been mute over Irene’s conversion for close to three weeks now since the news broke out and this the source revealed baffles Irene. Perhaps, her impending switch to gospel and inspirational music had held doubts in the grapevine because she announced her excitement at the level of her progress with work on her much anticipated album just a couple of months back. Even so the fact that nothing was speculated about it supported the assertion by a school of thought within the gospel fray that showbiz media is always indifferent to such occurrences of high profile artistes shifting to gospel music or positive music since all they (showbiz media) are interested in glamour, fame, sensationalism and scandals.

Another issue that surprised many was Irene’s decision to give full account of what necessitated her change at a concert being organised by 2011 Ghana Gospel Industry Awards’ New Artiste of the Year, Cwesi Oteng, and his Mercy Project team. When contacted, organisers reveal that Irene had been friends with Cwesi and his team dating back to almost a year now and that she felt her testimony will speak to the many people expected at the concert especially young people pursuing their treasured dreams just as Irene felt she was pursuing until ‘something’ happened. Organisers also made it known, when asked about the details of Irene’s testimony and the ‘something’ referred earlier, that Irene prefered narrating her own experience and testimony to avoid the truth from being tampered with which is why she insisted on being part of the concert’s proceedings herself and narrating it, after which she believes everyone will be well informed. Born in the mid-80s to Liberian parents, Irene Logan made an entry into this world knowing her gifts were dotted along the lines of creativity. This she owed to the sheer talents which sold her out on huge platforms in the creative world at an early stage. Irene had her first taste of tragedy when her father and brother died while growing up in native Liberia. On moving to Ghana where she virtually has lived her entire life, her mother got married to a Ghanaian who was also a creative brain and into music. Therefore Irene grew up surrounded by music, a closure of soul and pop, her step-dad a guitarist and singer while her mother, a music director at church also sang professionally too. Irene Logan held the microphone as early as age 3 and before hitting age 5, she had performed at the National Theatre with the Christian Action Faith Ministry during a gospel rock show. Irene’s time at Achimota School played a role very significant in her music life. Under the tutelage of Ghana’s legendary pianist, Ken Kafui, Irene developed further her vocal deftness, explored the fibres of choral music and was refined musically. She went on to perform at various places, including weddings, churches, and even at Miss Teen Personality 2002. She won an opera singing competition and a song-writing competition for Fanta. She was part of a group called S-Touch which also featured Salimi Akill (also of Stars of the Future fame), Richie (of Lynxx Entertainment), Ferguson and Selassie Hanson. However, what brought her to limelight was the Charterhouse-produced reality music show, Stars of the Future, in 2006, which Irene won hands down. After the competition Charterhouse paired Irene with Jane Awindor (Efya), who was second runner up in the said competition, to form the talented duo, Irene & Jane. As a group, they won the Best Female Vocal Performance category in the 2008 Ghana Music Awards. They were also nominated for the 2008 Kora Music Awards and Channel O Music Video Awards having songs such as ‘Heat It Up’ and ‘Baby’ receiving rave reviews. The duo split up to pursue solo careers after their ‘Unveiled’ project.

Irene then had brief spells with Deluxe Entertainment House & Lynx Entertainment before signing on to Lynx Entertainment in 2008. Her first single, ‘Runaway’, featuring controversial Hiplife artiste and label mate on Lynx Entertainment, Asem, was an epic hit that revealed the versatility and resourcefulness of her musical gift. Her second prelude single, the recent soulful afro-pop hit song ‘Kabila’ off her much anticipated album, ‘Re-birth’, has placed her on the continent as a musical force to rep Africa to the world massively in a couple of years to come. She signed on in May 2009 as an ambassador for telecommunications giant, Globacom.

Irene left Lynx Entertainment in 2010 after some disagreements with her career direction and has since been recording her debut album slated for release late this year or early next year hitherto her decision to leave secular music to get back to her roots, gospel, where it all began. Her decision to leave secular music according a close source is as a result of a divine experience she had in a situation which gave close resemblance to that of biblical Saul’s encounter on the way to Damascus. The encounter according to the tight-lipped source was so revealing that Irene was shaken for days after the experience. It will also interest you to know that when Jamaican gospel legend, Chevelle Franklyn, was in Ghana for Danny Nettey’s Highland Prayz last week, Irene met with her in her hotel suite for hours seeking guidance since Chevelle had gone through the same experience Irene is now going through. Chevelle Franklyn made a sensational shift at the peak of her dancehall career to become born-a gain and then a minister of the gospel through music after declaring her shift on stage during a grand dancehall concert while on a lucrative tour.

Come 4pm this Sunday, 16th of October at the plush 5000-seater auditorium of Charismatic Evangelistic Ministry (CEM), around Atomic Junction, North Legon, Cwesi Oteng and his friends will be live in concert and as a special feature, Irene Logan will give a detailed life changing testimony of her encounter and hopefully announce her comeback to her first love gospel music. Organisers of the ‘Cwesi Oteng Live in Concert’ event encourage all especially gospel music fans to support Irene with their prayers and troop to CEM Auditorium this Sunday to give her morale support. You don’t have to miss out on this grand concert which promises to be a life changing experience with awesome music to be churned out from Ghana’s contemporary gospel music pot. See you on Sunday!