Twenty six year old London native, Anna Efah, joins this elite club of newbies with her heartfelt debut offering Lost Without You.

We recently caught up with Anna to chat all things music and more. 

Akosua DF: Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey into music.

Anna Efah: Hi! My name is Anna Efah and I am 26 years old. I am a South Londoner with Ghanaian heritage. I was raised on the timeless sounds of Ghanas high life in the 70s and 80s because of my parents, so they played a major part in my journey. For instance, at 8 years old, Saturdays were mostly gig days for my parents and they would sing with their band at traditional funerals and have me and my brothers trailing behind. Our ears opened to chords, melodies and styles of music which we dont take for granted. My secondary school music teacher at the time recommended a programme called Youth Music Voices and my love for music grew with gigs at the BBC, The 2012 Olympics, Abbey Roads Studios and The Jazz Cafe. Attending Trinity Baptist Church from an early age became a training ground for me to hone my listening skills, which helped me to refine my vocals. I was also heavily influenced by my secondary school choir director Clinton Jordan, who is an active member of The Kingdom Choir.

Akosua DF: Oh wow thats pretty impressive. Congratulations on your debut single Lost Without You. Let me start off by saying its a beautiful song. I do remember you from Victoria Tundes live recording, you were one of her background vocalists (bvs) . Youve worked as a bv for a number of UK artists. How daunting have you found the transition from being a bv to a solo recording artist?

Anna Efah: Thank you! The transition was not daunting because as a background vocalist (BV), I acquired confidence in who I was and in my voice. I saw the confidence in BVs like Candy West and Michael Bethany and I emulated them. I did my research, practised and ministered during praise and worship to improve my confidence. Biblically speaking, 2 Timothy 1:7 speaks of God not giving us the spirit of fear and I remember the saying, ministering to the audience of one, This means that the only one you are ministering to is God. From that point, my mindset shifted and my focus became personal it was just me and God in the secret place.

Akosua DF: Ooooooh you better preach about the audience of One! What are your aspirations for your new single?

Anna Efah : Lost Without You is not limited to the church walls. I am hoping to have the single customised in various ways e.g. performed with a live orchestral arrangement. The feedback from the single has been touching, particularly because it seems to resonate with people and their personal struggles over the period of the pandemic. Its a victory cry and I know that unbelievers will be able to experience and be impacted by God in a special way.

Akosua DF: In 2020 you launched an initiative called iUnravel, tell us a bit about it?

Anna Efah: iUnravel is a community created to support the bereaved with the aim of helping them to see through the lens of Christ that death is not the end. After my mother passed almost 5 years ago, COVID forced my family and I to really be stuck in our home surrounded by memories and it was painful. However, I wanted to create a community which helped the bereaved, particularly for Christians and settled on iUnravel. I could personally witness the effects of grief in peoples lives and saw that the topic and its effects were not spoken about enough in church. So far, we have had two worship events which included speakers within the sectors of music, mental health and insurance. We also launched our own merchandise and recently our Care Box! For further information on our work, please visit our instagram page @iunravelltd

Akosua DF: Thats really powerful. Youve used your pain as a tool to minister to others. So Id love to know the last three songs that youve listened to?

Anna Efah: (1)Its Gonna Happen (feat. Zarcardi Cortez) - James Fortune (2) No Greater (Live) - Cece Winans (3) Sing unto the Lord - Mark Beswick

Listen to Lost without you by Anna Efah here.

Interviewed and written by Akosua DF, Premier Gospel Presenter

Thursday 13 January 2022

The last couple of years have seen the emergence of a new crop of talent in the UK gospel scene. Artists such as Grace Tena, Sade Ebone, Efua B, Tee Supreme, Salient Sound and Michael Oyo are a handful of the next Gen creatives churning out great music.