In 1980, gospel music in Kenya meant church choirs singing translated hymns in four-part harmony. By 2020, gospel was the bestselling genre in the country. Artists like Mercy Masika, Bahati, and Size 8 filled stadiums, dominated radio playlists, and earned more than most secular musicians. The shift happened quietly, then all at once. Churches became recording studios. Gospel artists became celebrities. And the music stopped sounding like church at all.