By Olayinka Latona

The organizers of the Celestial Musical Awards (C.M.A.) have reiterated their commitment to recognizing and celebrating the vast musical talents within the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) worldwide.

The 5th edition of the musical awards, themed “Celebration in Harmony,” was held at the Balmoral Event Centre in Lagos and attracted a large gathering of music creatives, choirs, choir masters, music lovers, and stakeholders from within the Celestial Church.

Speaking at the event, Head of Operations for C.M.A., Psalm Daramola, explained that the awards are an initiative led by young members of the CCC under the leadership of Convener Babajide Shitta-Bey. Their goal is to create a culture of recognizing and appreciating gospel ministers within the church through the annual musical event.

Daramola emphasized that the C.M.A. aims to position Celestial music prominently within the global gospel music industry, noting the transformative power of music within the Celestial Church.

In his words: “What makes this year’s edition special is that it marks the 5th anniversary. We’ve chosen to celebrate all the music artists within the Celestial fold. That’s why the theme is ‘Celebration in Harmony.’ We’re celebrating their good works and contributions. The process involves artists submitting their songs, followed by a two-month panel sorting period, audience voting, and final panel decisions. It’s a joint collaboration.”

Several music creatives were recognized for their outstanding contributions:

Contemporary Song of the Year: Adegoke Adedamola, What a Wonder

CCC Urban Contemporary Song of the Year: King Samba, Aya Mi Nja

Vocal Performance 2024: Shabby (France)

Songwriter of the Year: Oluwatosindoz

Song of the Year: Kent Edunjobi, Yan Fanda

Instrumentalist of the Year: SamKeys

The Sunday School Choir of Celestial Church of Christ Sharon Cathedral, led by Taiwo Isaiah, also received special recognition. Expressing gratitude, Isaiah said:

“It is a great honor for our Sunday School Choir to be recognized. This acknowledgment is a testament to the efforts of past leaders in our parish. We deeply appreciate the organizers for this opportunity and for recognizing us even when we didn’t realize they were watching.”

The event was sponsored by CWAY, Cadbury, Sterling Bank, and other notable organizations.