Lagos, known as Nigeria's entertainment capital, is no stranger to the raves and parties that light up its vibrant nightlife. But while many of these parties cater to dance music, Amapiano, or Afrobeats, there’s one event breaking the mold: Gospel House. This new gospel-themed party is redefining how people experience gospel music by merging house music with gospel music, creating a community for Christian music lovers in a new way.

Driven by a desire to create an atmosphere where people could experience the same euphoric feeling they would get at an average rave —only this time, one that glorifies God—Nigerian DJ and music producer Tobi Peter decided to start Gospel House. What makes the event compelling is the way gospel music is reimagined in a refreshing way. Yes, these are songs you may have heard before, but you haven’t experienced them like this. It’s the complete experience of knowing that at every Gospel House party, you’ll be offered a new way to bask in your favourite gospel songs. There’s always a surprise, always a fresh experience. That’s what makes it inherently unique.

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How Gospel House Started

Created by Peter earlier this year, Gospel House is slowly but steadily becoming a highly anticipated event for individuals who love gospel music and want to experience it in a new way. While the event has had two successful editions, it’s interesting to note that it wasn’t part of his original plan for the year. “When I started this year, I made plans for my career, and Gospel House wasn’t one of them. However, it’s the event I’ve done the most this year, so I feel like I was led by God to do it,” he tells Get Unruly. “When I eventually did it, everyone kept telling me it was something they had thought about, so that just confirms that it needed to happen—and that it happened at the right time.”

Aside from his desire to follow God’s instructions, he also had a strong conviction to create an environment that allowed him to use his talents to glorify God and uplift the spirits of everyone who attended the event. According to the DJ, social media also played a role in the creation and promotion of Gospel House. For the longest time, social media platforms have continuously pushed new trends, new artists, new sounds, random posts, or new personalities to users worldwide—and it wasn’t any different for Peter.

After posting a remix of Lawrence Oyor’s “Favour,” one of the most streamed songs on Spotify this year, the post went viral, and people began requesting for more remixes of Christian songs. Their continued requests, coupled with an instruction from God, fuelled the birth of Gospel House. Following the success of the first edition, which was a collaboration with fellow DJ Sigag Lauren, and an equally successful second edition, this newly created music event is building a sturdy foundation for future gatherings.

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Roadblocks and Hesitation

Although Gospel House has thrived, the journey hasn’t been without its challenges. Some of the major ones involve producing its YouTube videos and creatively preparing for the set. What happens when you plan to host an event in a cozy venue with soft music, but the plans change, and suddenly you need to rent larger speakers and produce the event for YouTube? Well, you have to face these new demands head-on—while also preparing an hour-long setlist of gospel songs that have been remixed according to Peter, “Every other thing is a breeze because I have someone who handles my sound, a venue partner, and a team that edits and works on the video recordings. The challenging part is having to sit down and remake the songs,” he explains.

Highlighting the difficulty of remaking gospel songs—which are, in most cases, quite slow—he says he has to strip down 10 to 12 songs and rebuild them into more danceable versions. Why go through all that when there are existing remixes online? It’s because he understands that audiences expect a fresh experience each time they attend the show. “I don’t want to host different Gospel House events while playing the same sets. People are going to complain,” he says.

As enthusiastic as the music producer was about starting Gospel House, he also felt hesitant due to the fear of being judged based on his previous sets. His hesitation wasn’t an overreaction, as some artists, like Chidinma Ekile, have been criticized for transitioning into gospel music. In this case, Peter isn’t quitting DJing at other events outside of Gospel House, but his concerns about judgment, especially within Nigeria’s religious context, are valid.

“I was surprised by the reactions I got from Christians, Muslims, and other industry people—OGs were sending me messages. I didn’t expect such a positive reception, and that was part of the fear I had. In my mind, I was like, ‘If I announce this thing, won’t I get dragged?’” He says, “I thought people would tell me I wasn’t the right person to handle a gospel event. I genuinely didn’t know there would be an audience or market for something like this, but I felt really good, and the growth has been so organic.” The support reassured him that Gospel House was on the right path.

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What Gospel House Means for the Christian Community

During our conversation, I was curious about what he hoped the event would do for those who attended. Obviously, there had to be something he wished the audience would see or take away, because every creator not only creates—they also want their audience to understand and feel. He says he hopes they enjoy God’s presence and have their horizons expanded. “I hope that the people who come to the event come to dance, have their horizons broadened, and don’t arrive with a judgmental mindset of, ‘No, these songs are supposed to be sacred. Why are you tampering with gospel songs? It doesn’t glorify God anymore.’ I’ve seen a couple of comments like that on my TikTok page, but I want people to be open-minded,” he shares.

Spearheading an event that remixes gospel songs is quite risky, given that most people have reiterated that gospel should be made a certain way: solemn and slow. However, through Gospel House, he hopes to change that mindset. “That’s what I want to educate people on: it’s the lyrics and the message of a song that make it gospel. You can have a gospel hip-hop song, because as long as you are rapping to glorify God, it’s a gospel song.”

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Future Plans for Gospel House

If you think the event’s one-hour set is too short, then Peter’s vision for the event might excite you. He shared that he envisions the one-hour set expanding into a five-hour experience, with different DJs taking turns on the deck. He also said, “I want to do Gospel House in other countries like Nairobi, Frankfurt, Paris, and London. It might not be as frequent as my other shows, but it will be something people look forward to, and they’ll come out in numbers. I’ll try to continue making it a free event—basically like a church, where you come in to enjoy God’s presence.”

One thing that stood out to me when he spoke about the future of Gospel House was his commitment to preserving the essence of the event: spreading God’s word and giving people a new experience.

By the end of my conversation with him, the determination in his voice to make it a constant event for many years is quite noticeable, meaning the future looks incredibly bright for it, setting a new standard for what it means to celebrate faith through music.

Check out the two editions of Gospel House here.

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