Way Maker

"Way Maker" is a contemporary worship song written by Nigerian gospel singer Sinach and released as a single on 30 December 2015. The song has been covered by a number of Christian music artists in 2019–2020 including Michael W. Smith, Mandisa, Leeland, Christafari, Passion Worship Band, and Bethel Music.

"Way Maker"
Single by Sinach
from the album Way Maker (Live)
Released30 May 2015 (2015-05-30)
Recorded2015
GenreContemporary worship
Songwriter(s)Sinach
Producer(s)
  • Mayo
  • Sinach

Release and reception

In November 2016, Sinach released an 18-track album, Waymaker – Live, titled after the single which recorded commercial success, and it was certified gold by Recording Industry of South Africa (RISA).[1] Sinach was rated by Pulse Nigeria as the female artist of the decade, gospel female artist of the decade, and No. 7 artist of the decade in Nigeria.[2][3]

Music video

Sinach released the "Way Maker" music video on YouTube on 30 December 2015.[4][5] The video shows her singing outdoors.[6] It was directed by Ose Iria and audio produced by Mayo.[7] 3 On 7 March 2019, "Way Maker" video reached 100 million views, making Sinach the first Nigerian gospel singer and the third Nigerian singer overall to accomplish the feat.[6][4] At the end of 2019, Rhythm 93.7 FM reported "Way Maker" as the second most viewed Nigerian music video on Youtube.[8]

Commercial performance

In October 2019, on invitation from Joel Osteen, Sinach visited Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas where she performed the song live.[9]

Covers and renditions

The song has been covered by a number of Christian music artists around the world including Michael W. Smith, Leeland, Christafari, and various artists in Bethel Music.[10][11] It has been sung in churches around the world,[12] and has been translated into 50 languages.[13]

In November 2019, Christafari featuring Avion Blackman released a reggae rendition of "Way Maker".[14]

In an interview with Billboard, Michael W. Smith said that he was inspired to do the cover after his daughter Anna talked about how it was her go-to song; he first performed it at his concert at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville in August 2018. He was later asked to do a shorter radio version but it didn't turn out well so he went with the duet with his backing vocalist Vanessa Campagna.[15] On 1 February 2020, Michael W. Smith released "Waymaker" featuring Campagna and Madelyn Berry.[16] In March, the song marked Smith's first time in 16 years that he has reached a Billboard top 10 chart with a non-holiday single.[17] Smith's rendition peaked at No. 3 on Hot Christian Songs and at No. 4 on Christian Airplay.[18][19] In response to the Coronavirus pandemic in Italy and seeing Italian residents singing on the balconies, Campagna asked Smith to record an Italian version, which they released on 27 March as "Aprirai Una Via".[20][21] Smith's rendition would later reach No. 1 on the Christian Airplay chart in May.[15]

Leeland's rendition, "Way Maker (Live)", was originally released in 16 August 2019 as a music video and pre-order single from his upcoming album, Better Word.[22] In an interview with Thir.st blog, singer Leeland Mooring said that his mother first came across Sinach's video on YouTube two years prior, and the year after they started singing the song at his home church and then other churches. Mooring said "It didn’t matter what the demographics of the people were or what denomination the church was. Every time we sang “Waymaker”, everyone would latch onto it too. It was something very special." Mooring said he almost had Sinach come and sing with them on the album, but she could not make it.[23] The song entered the Billboard Hot Christian Songs 11 April 2020 chart at No. 9, marking the first time in the history of Hot Christian Songs that two versions of the same song have resided simultaneously in its top 10 (Smith's version at No. 3). Two other renditions of "Way Maker" also charted in that week: Mandisa at No. 38 and Passion (featuring Kristina Stanfill, Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes) at No. 39.[24]

On 27 February 2020, worship leader Darlene Zschech recorded a rendition of "Way Maker" with William McDowell and a choir for an upcoming album for Integrity Music.[25] Their video was posted in June.[26]

Sinach became the first African artist to top the Billboard Christian Songwriters chart in May 2020.[27][28] In June 2020, the song reached the top spot in the Christian Copyright Licensing International Top 100 songs, a ranking based on the frequency that it is used in church worship.[13]

Impact

In 2020, video recordings of the song went viral on social media of people who gathered in their cars around a hospital in Albany, Georgia singing and praying for those working in Phoebe Putney Medical system. Also, dozens of cars were parked outside Poinciana Medical Center in Kissimmee, Florida where people gathered and were singing "Way Maker".[29][3]

"Way Maker" was also sung at the George Floyd protests in Milwaukee, Wisconsin[30] and Minneapolis, Minnesota.[26]

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References
  1. "Certificate Reporting". Recording Industry of South Africa. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  2. Motolani, Alake. "Top 10 Gospel artist of the decade". PulseNG. PulseNG. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  3. Morris, Andrea (31 March 2020). "Doctors Praying Inside as Christians Surround Hospitals to Pray Outside Against Coronavirus". CBN News. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  4. Abulude, Samuel (20 March 2019). "Nigeria: Sinach's 'Way Maker' Hits Over 100 Million Views On YouTube". AllAfrica.com. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  5. Okoye, Kene (1 January 2016). "Sinach dazzles in Way Maker". Kenespoint. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  6. Aderemi, Adewojumi (7 March 2019). "Sinach's 'Way Maker' Has Now Reached 100 Million Views On YouTube". Konbini.
  7. Sinach (30 December 2015). Sinach – Way Maker. Retrieved 14 April 2020 – via YouTube.
  8. "Top 10 Most Viewed Nigerian Music Videos On Youtube Of The Last Decade". Rhythm 93.7 FM Lagos. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  9. "Sinach to Perform in Houston". This Day. 5 October 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  10. Chaves, Grace (30 January 2020). "The Many Versions of "Way Maker"". New Release Today. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  11. Showalter, Brandon (16 December 2019). "Bethel Music songwriter's 2-y-o daughter stops breathing, pronounced dead". The Christian Post. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  12. Harrington, Jim (8 April 2020). "Easter music playlist: 14 great songs for celebrating the season". The Mercury News. Bay Area News Group. Retrieved 14 April 2020. Yes, “Way Maker” makes the list – more than once, actually
  13. Fowler, Megan (12 June 2020). "How 'Way Maker' Topped the US Worship Charts from Nigeria". Christianity Today. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  14. "Christafari Releases Roots Reggae Version of The Hit Song 'Way Maker' Ft. Avion Blackman". The Hype Magazine. 20 November 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  15. Asker, Jim (14 May 2020). "Michael W. Smith on His First Christian Airplay No. 1, 'Waymaker': 'It's the Right Song for the Time'". Billboard.
  16. Whitmore, Laura B. (31 January 2019). "Exclusive Premiere: Michael W. Smith Shares 'Waymaker' and Announces New Album, Awaken: The Surrounded Experience". Parade. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  17. Asker, Jim (12 March 2020). "Michael W. Smith Hits Hot Christian Songs Top 10 With 'Waymaker'". Billboard. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  18. "Chart History – Michael W. Smith – Hot Christian Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  19. "Chart History – Michael W. Smith – Christian Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  20. Clarks, Jessie (27 March 2020). "Michael W. Smith Releases Italian Version Of "Waymaker" Featuring Vanessa Campagna". The Christian Beat. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  21. Tady, Scott (1 April 2020). "Blackhawk grad's song inspires internationally". Ellwood City Ledger. Ellwood City, Pennsylvania: Gannett. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  22. Integrity Music (16 August 2019). "Integrity Music Announces the Release of Better Word, a Live Album from Leeland, Sept 13" (Press release). Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  23. Leeland Mooring (8 October 2019). "THIR.ST TALKS: Leeland on "Waymaker" and their latest album "Better Word"". Thir.st (Interview). Interviewed by Wong Siqi. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  24. Asker, Jim (9 April 2020). "There's a Second Version of 'Waymaker' in the Hot Christian Songs Top 10 & That's a First for the Chart". Billboard.
  25. "Darlene Zschech Records "Way Maker" With Pastor William McDowell". Praise 94.5. 28 February 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  26. "Sinach, Writer Of "Way Maker," Named Top Songwriter For 12 Weeks In A Row". 10 June 2020.
  27. Nebianet Usaini (6 May 2020). "Sinach Becomes First African To Top Billboard 'Christian Songwriters' Chart". Channels TV. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  28. "US Billboard ranks Nigerian singer, Sinach number 1 Christian". 7 May 2020.
  29. Gavan, Hillary (30 March 2020). "Worshippers sing in honor of healthcare workers". Beloit Daily News. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  30. "Army of Milwaukee Protesters Sing Worship Song 'Way Maker'". CBN News. 3 June 2020.
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