Interview: Taiyemi
Last year Ageless One and Taiyemi release their single 'UK is OK', recorded live at the Ageless One Concert. Louder Than The Music caught up with the duo behind the "Taiyemi" name to find out more about them and how the prophetic song came about.
For those who haven't heard of you before, can you tell us a bit about yourselves and how you got involved in making music?
We are husband (Tai) and wife (Yemi) and together we are known as Taiyemi. We both met the Lord at a young age and have been part of Church choirs and worship teams from our youth. However, the journey into songwriting, music production and organising concerts and did not begin until after a supernatural experience.
I [Tai] began to look for work after being made redundant from an engineering position in 2009. After looking everywhere for a year both in the UK and around the world, to no avail, the breakthrough came.
While in Church one Sunday morning, a prophecy came out through a guest minister about my situation, the challenges and the difficulty of not making any visible headway. The prophecy went on to mention that I will move to another country in Europe and that the country will be the “springboard for the Lord to use to move you back to where you were and higher …and within the next one and a half months, this will come to pass. It will be like Peter’s miracle when he launched [his net] into the deep [..] your deep point is this other European country and that is where the floodgate so to speak, of this, would open up”
To cut a long story short, I [Tai] ended up in Norway. Then one day, at an early stage of a 40-day fast which I embarked on as instructed by God, the floodgate opened up! “Two to three days down the line, the deluge of original songs began to flood my heart (this was very different to the level of original songs Yemi and I used to receive when we worshipped together in previous times). This experience was different, anytime, or anywhere I go, the songs flowed, and it has never stopped. So, as a couple, we receive and write songs out of the overflow of this encounter with God, the Ageless One.
Tell us about your new single 'UK is OK' and what the inspiration behind it was?
Yemi and I had a meeting with our mentors Dave and Pat Bilbrough just before the lockdown. At the end of our discussion, I was asked to pray. So, I began to pray, then towards the end I prayed for the nation and then declared ‘UK is OK’. Few days later, God gave me the inspiration to write the song.
Are there any plans to release a full album soon?
The signature song UK is OK is one of 13 songs recorded live at the Ageless One Concert, and we have plans to release the full album before the end of the year. In the meantime people can connect with Ageless One Music on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Website.
What message would you like people to take from your music?
The message we would like people to take from our music is that of faith, hope, healing, and deliverance. It is a simple message, that all will be okay no matter what anyone is facing. There is a way out in God. There is also the message on the call to intimacy with God through praise and worship.
The message the Lord gave us at the beginning is to proclaim healing and deliverance through songs and we hope that this message comes through our songs. It is our desire that the songs will bring liberty, freedom, healing, deliverance, and intimacy with God.
How would you describe your style of music and what are your influences?
Our style of music is Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). Over the years we have been influenced by Maranatha Music, Hosanna Music, with their various lead artistes/worship leaders such as Don Moen, Bob Fitts, Dave Bilbrough, Chris Bowater and others. Other influences are William McDowell, Hillsong and African Gospel music.
If you could work with any songwriter, who would it be and why?
The songwriter we would like to work with vary from time to time. One songwriter is William McDowell, because of his passion for God, his shepherd’s heart, depth of his songs and simplicity.
In recent times, Maverick City are those that we would like to work with. This is because their style of music and their lyrical content are easy to relate with in our contemporary world and their songs are rooted in the scriptures, which is something we are passionate about.
How would you define success in your career as an artist?
Success in our view is simply following one’s God-given vision and accomplishing it.
What is your favourite album of all time?
It is Communing with the Ageless One.
You're stuck on an island, it's hot, you only have enough battery life left to listen to one song on your phone. What track is it?
God will make a Way
What does the next year hold for you?
We are excited about what the rest of the year and the next year hold. We have recently started the Ageless One Healing Stream, an event where we minister healing and share our songs on healing and other worship songs.
Our other events are:
• Ageless One Solemn Assembly
• Ageless One Worship Experience
Can be watched on our YouTube Channel Ageless One TV. Please feel free to subscribe to the channel.
An interview on Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) titled TBN Meets Tai & Yemi Durojaiye captures our journey and the Ageless One story.
