What impressed you to start out your YouTube channel?
When Covid hit, it pressured everybody to take a look at new methods of worshipping. The pastor at our church began a brand new on-line sequence on Fb and all of us watched it. There are 15 of us in Tales and Songs, and most of us work in manufacturing. So all of us got here collectively, known as him, and mentioned we needed to contribute and assist produce one thing prime quality with nice music.
After 4 or 5 movies with him, we determined to get our personal unbiased channel so it wasn’t connected to a selected church or faith. It grew to become a channel for anybody that needed to listen to reward and worship songs, with some relatable tales, irrespective of their spiritual background.
We had somebody within the feedback say “I’m not spiritual or a Christian. I simply take heed to the songs as a result of it jogs my memory of my childhood,” which exhibits simply how a lot our music resonated with followers.
Our ambition was to share good music however the channel has changed into greater than that. Individuals are opening up and sharing with us and one another. It’s a very good feeling to know that we’ve created a spot the place individuals really feel snug on-line as a result of social media isn’t at all times so welcoming.
Did you have a look at the work of different religious YouTubers?
We didn’t actually try this a lot analysis on different YouTubers. We simply began it, after which alongside the best way, we realised that we had been doing one thing completely different. A lot of the church buildings we noticed on YouTube, had a sermon with reward and worship, very like a conventional church. So we determined to do one thing completely different on your youthful audience. For us, we simply needed to deal with the music and humorous tales in between. Tales that raise individuals’s spirits and make them really feel good. We needed to maneuver away from the standard right into a extra fashionable manner of connecting with our Gen Z group.
How does YouTube provide help to join together with your followers, the Christian group and your religion?
The YouTube remark part has helped us join with our followers and group in ways in which we might not have been capable of do in a conventional church setting. By the stay streams and content material we add, our interactions are primarily through the feedback. It permits us to see the place individuals’s lives are, or what they’re going by way of at that second. And even what they need from us as content material creators so we are able to create higher movies for them.
After we have a look at our stay chats throughout a stream, we’ll see extra engagement throughout sure songs or verses. This lets us know what individuals like or dislike, or how they’re feeling throughout a selected season. It helps us take into consideration how we are able to higher assist our viewers, how we are able to enhance our manufacturing and even determine on themes to discover in future movies. For instance throughout Covid, lots of people had been going by way of melancholy and isolation and we may see that from the feedback. So we determined to provide you with a theme about therapeutic to assist our viewers.
With nearly 4 million views in your YouTube channel, what helped you develop and the way do you propose to develop your social group?
We had been even shocked by that quantity to be sincere, however for us, we do not deal with the views, it is extra in regards to the worth we offer. One thing that has undoubtedly helped us develop has been listening to what followers say within the feedback.
At first, our focus was on attempting to make as a lot content material as we may, then a few of our viewers began asking us to make shorter movies with only one or two songs as a result of watching lengthy YouTube movies was inflicting their knowledge bundles to complete extra rapidly, in order that’s what we did.
As a result of we’ve got an enormous group, every considered one of us would share our movies on our private social channels, with our pals, after which they shared them with their pals. So we had been capable of develop rapidly, organically principally by way of good previous phrase of mouth.
Now we wish to attain individuals all around the world. Most of our viewers is from East Africa however we would like Tales and Songs to be watched all around the world. We’re hoping our younger, digital group will help us attain that purpose. Earlier this 12 months, we had been capable of do a live performance and 400 individuals got here from our YouTube group. That was actually inspiring to us, seeing how a lot our followers linked with us in actual life too.
| Glynn Mwavali, Derrick Decor, Wanjira Maathai, David Ogara, Threzer Alando, Manasseh Shalom, Kui Brown, Noah Brown, Ben Mbasu, Eric Mayore |
How completely different was it to attach with individuals in particular person versus on-line?
It was fascinating as a result of it’s nearly like we’ve already constructed sturdy connections with our audiences through YouTube and we even know a few of our followers fairly properly. So once they got here to the bodily occasion, it was identical to a meet-up of pals. It felt like we had already identified every for therefore lengthy and had that mutual respect for one another.
However the stay expertise is kind of completely different from the net one. We even had some suggestions saying that we must always keep on with YouTube as an alternative of stay live shows. As a result of with YouTube, you’re ready to return to observe one thing whenever you need, it can save you a video and share it. However you possibly can’t try this with a stay efficiency. It is a one-time factor. So as soon as it is completed, it is completed. On YouTube, our movies and our message lives on perpetually.
How do you utilize digital or social platforms to attach together with your group of devoted followers?
We use completely different instruments for various issues. So for our prayer requests, we use Instagram. Though we do ask individuals to share prayer requests on our YouTube Reside movies. We’ve discovered that it’s simply simpler to have one technique of communication, which for the longest time has been YouTube.
Have you ever used YouTube/ Google’s instruments, programmes or coaching to assist your channel develop and be discoverable on-line?
We’ve not completed any coaching but, however after all, we use the YouTube instruments to examine our analytics, to seek out out who our viewers is. It’s useful to seek out out the demographics to see how and the place we’re rising. We additionally simply began utilizing YouTube Shorts and we’re hoping to discover that extra. We came upon from our analytics that almost all of our viewers watch our movies on their telephone so we’re attempting to make use of codecs like Shorts to seize their consideration on cell.
Have you ever confronted any resistance/scepticism when sharing your religion/spirituality on-line?
Not likely. It’s been fairly optimistic. After we began this complete factor, we had been fortunate to be in a bubble of pals and like-minded individuals, so the one criticism would come from ourselves. For us, we’re not making movies for ‘likes’ or something like that. It was extra like “okay, guys, we’ve got this expertise – let’s use it, let’s share it”.
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| Threzer Alando, Eric Mayore (within the again) Manasseh Shalom performing on the stay recording |
Why do you assume younger individuals’s belief in spiritual establishments is low, however belief in spiritual influencers continues to be excessive?
There’s this complete factor with spiritual establishments having a sure manner of doing issues, that it’s important to keep on with. That doesn’t work for Gen Z. They wish to do issues their manner, they wish to worship in their very own manner. They’re extra individualistic and so they don’t imagine that faith is just one manner. I feel what influencers are exhibiting them is that is what works for me however you are able to do faith the best way you wish to do it, in a manner that feels good to you. They’re not imposing strict guidelines, it’s relatable.
A cause why we are likely to deal with simply quick tales and related songs is that we’ve seen that Gen Z prefers issues which are quick and candy. If they will be taught or expertise one thing rapidly and so they have a very good time doing it, they like that. They don’t have to sit down by way of a four-hour church service to connect with God or different Christians. They’ll additionally watch a brief video from Tales and Songs to really feel like they’re a part of a religious group. Non secular influencers are good at listening to what their viewers needs and creating content material round that. Possibly Gen Z feels that is missing with some spiritual establishments.
Do you assume the notion of faith and spirituality is altering as Gen Z share their religion extra brazenly on-line?
The entire thing about being on-line is that persons are freer. They’ve extra freedom of speech. They speak about their spirituality, they speak about their faith. As a result of persons are sharing their beliefs in several methods on-line, the notion of it’s altering from one thing very strict to one thing extra versatile. There’s loads much less judgement. You already know in some church buildings you may really feel eyes watching you in case you don’t arise throughout the songs or in case you don’t pray loudly sufficient. On-line, you gained’t be judged for “doing the incorrect factor”. Folks may be extra nameless on-line and that enables them to be extra susceptible and ask for assist once they want it.
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| (Prime row) Edna, Eric, Sammy, Brady, Ben, Noel. (Center row) Wanjira, Moses, Threzer, Decor, Noah. (Backside Row) Eve, Manasseh, David, Kui |
What do you assume Christianity will appear to be within the subsequent 5-10 years?
The way forward for Christianity is digital. With Covid, we noticed church buildings go surfing. However despite the fact that church buildings are open now, they’re nonetheless operating their providers by way of platforms like YouTube, Fb, or on their web site. With the church that we used to go to, the variety of those that got here again after Covid is kind of low in comparison with the variety of those that had been there earlier than. With time, individuals will respect the truth that church is obtainable on-line any time or day you need. It’s not simply reserved for Sundays. It’s only a click on away.
What can be your recommendation for younger individuals hoping to have interaction with spirituality at present?
Folks must type of simply settle for who they’re and be snug in their very own pores and skin. Discover like-minded areas and like-minded individuals. Discover them on-line in case you can’t discover them in particular person and join with them.
Additionally, younger individuals ought to comply with their coronary heart in what they imagine in and be constant. So long as it helps them to develop as a result of development is vital and in case you’re shifting one step forward, that may solely be a very good factor.
