Nigerian Afro-gospel artist Gaise Baba is back with a new album, following a remarkable year that saw ‘No Turning Back II’ with Lawrence Oyor become one of the biggest songs of his career.
Released last year, the song took over social media and quickly travelled beyond the gospel audience. It became one of the standout Nigerian releases of 2025, with millions of views on YouTube and countless videos created with the song across social media.
Now, Gaise Baba is following that success with ‘God Is Cooking’, a 13-track album which he described on Instagram as a ‘13-course meal’.
Set for release on Friday, August 14, the album takes listeners through a journey of discipleship, touching on reverence, identity, commitment, growth, hope, obedience and mission.
‘Lenu (Intro)’ opens the album from a place of reverence for God before ‘Show Workings’ featuring Greatman Takit and ‘Oruko’ move into identity and the power found in the name of Jesus.
‘No Turning Back II’ featuring Lawrence Oyor also makes the album. Gaise describes it as more than a hit song, calling it ‘a declaration for a generation’, a decision to follow Jesus wholeheartedly with no intention of turning back.
‘Want To Grow’ speaks about the desire to grow spiritually and the consistency that comes with it, while ‘Yield’ was written around grief and loss, pointing listeners towards the hope found in Jesus.
There are more collaborations across the project, with Nontokozo Mkhize joining Gaise on ‘Smile For Joy’, Cofi Boham featuring on ‘He’s Not Done’ and Kaestrings on ‘Fire’. Other tracks include ‘We Outside’, ‘Light of Africa’ and ‘Coming Down’.
‘We Outside’ takes the message of faith beyond the four walls of the church, while ‘Light of Africa’ speaks directly to Africa and the call to live in its God-given identity and purpose. ‘Coming Down’ takes its inspiration from the story of Jericho, looking at the obedience of Joshua and the Israelites even before they could see the outcome.
The same level of thought also goes into the album artwork.
Explaining the cover on Instagram, Gaise said ‘God Is Cooking’ points back to God as the One behind everything people are seeing, while he sees himself as a steward serving what God is cooking.
The golden tray he holds represents stewardship, while the portrait of J.J. Ransome-Kuti is his way of acknowledging the history that came before him. Gaise also made the point that Afro-gospel did not start with him or his generation, pointing back to Ransome-Kuti and the use of African rhythms to communicate the Gospel in the early recordings of Nigerian Christian music.
Another part of the cover sees Gaise seated, representing royalty. For him, being a steward does not change his identity. As he explained, ‘The God that sent me is a King of kings, so I’m a king in my domain.’
Ahead of the album release, Gaise Baba brought ‘God Is Cooking’ to London for a listening party, with several familiar faces from the UK Gospel and Christian music community and beyond in attendance.
Muyiwa Olarewaju OBE, Charles Koranteng, Madeleine Kerzner, EmmaOMG, Weird MC and choir director and GMIA Co-Chair Anu Omideyi were among those present. Musician and producer Sess, who produced a number of songs on the album, was also there.
Dennis, pioneer and founder of AStepFWD, was also in attendance. Sharing his thoughts afterwards, he said although he arrived later and joined the listening session from track nine, what he heard was beautifully put together, with each song carrying its own message while still connecting with the wider direction of the album.
The London listening party gave those present an early listen to the project ahead of its release.
The 13-track album closes with ‘We Will Go’, a song built around the Great Commission and the call to take the message of grace, hope and salvation to the world.
From the songs to the artwork and the meaning behind each detail, ‘God Is Cooking’ gives a clear picture of where Gaise Baba is at this point in his journey. Following the success of ‘No Turning Back II’, the full 13-course meal is now ready to be served
