We chatted to Guvna B to discover more about his music and his faith.
Over the years you’ve won many different awards and worked with some big names in the Christian music industry. How do you stay grounded?
I'm naturally quite an insecure person, so I'm always doubting myself and my abilities. Winning the kinds of awards I've won, and working with the big names, doesn't help this. I'm at award ceremonies where nominees in the other categories are massive – you've got your Ed Sheerans and Stormzys – so I can compare myself a lot, and then imposter syndrome kicks in. The same happens when I'm working on a song with Matt Redman or Martin Smith, or if I'm on tour with Rend Collective. I'm obviously grateful for what God has done, but pride is something that can affect all of us in a negative way. Being imperfect and knowing that I haven't got to this position on my own merit is something that grounds me. Staying close to God is important because it's the best way for me to deal with my insecurities, and the best way for me to remember to show gratitude and not get carried away.
You’ve recently released a new single, ‘Mazza’. What was the inspiration behind it?
‘Mazza’ is a slang term for 'madness'. I noticed that things like serious youth violence were becoming the norm in youth culture, and I believe that God has given me a voice to speak into the culture with an alternative message. For me, madness, or mazza, is to disrupt the norm. That's something that I want to do, because a young person taking away the life of another should never be normal. In today's culture, loving your neighbour or turning the other cheek can be seen as madness. It's the type of madness I want to encourage.
Do you have any more new music coming out soon?
Yes, I've got a new album due out in April 2020. I'm really excited about it, and have worked with some really cool people in the Christian world, as well as the mainstream world.
When did you become a Christian? How has knowing God transformed your life?
I don't remember the specific moment, but the slow transition happened when I was 15/16. I heard a sermon on what being lukewarm looked like, and I guess it encouraged me to pick a side. I wanted to be on God's side. That was the start of me walking a faith journey, and learning more and more about what it meant to be a Christian and living life in a way that would bring me the most eternal fulfilment. My youth leader at church at the time was instrumental in discipling me and walking through that with me.
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
It would definitely be to be more open and honest with the people around me. I hid a lot from people who loved me because I was ashamed. The problem with that is the issues I had didn't go away. They just got bigger and bigger. If I was open and honest a lot earlier in life, I would have saved myself a lot of pain and wrong decisions. I'd want my younger self to get help with the puddles before they turn into floods.
What are you most looking forward to about Big Church Day Out this year?
I'm looking forward to sharing new music and coming face-to-face with young people. I love helping and hearing from young people and being inspired by them. It's also the first Big Church Day Out that my newly born son will be attending, so it'll be great to be there with the family.