Johannesburg, 19 March 2021 - Apple Music launches its Spirits Rejoice campaign which celebrates the best and brightest Gospel voices with exclusive playlists from South Africa’s Joyous Celebration, Ntokozo Mbambo, Hle and Dr. Tumi, as well as Nigeria’s Sinach, Mercy Chinwo, Nathaniel Bassey, Tim Godfrey and Ada Ehi. The music selections seek to inspire, uplift and encourage with a whole host of local and international artists including Fred Hammond, Kirk Franklin and Donald Lawrence. As one of the top-streaming genres on the African continent, Gospel music is characterised by emotion, choral voices and soulful sound that conveys a range of emotions that move the listener with every note. Gospel music has its roots firmly in Africa with its call-and-response style originating from numerous African tribes. Black gospel, Southern gospel, country gospel music, Bluegrass gospel, Celtic gospel and British black gospel have each developed their own style and characteristics over the years anchored in celebration. On the other side of the world, African Gospel has become one of the most popular genres on the continent over the last few decades, specifically in South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria. African gospel is uplifting, rhythmic, and spiritual with lyrics that reflect diverse world views, theologies, cultures and experiences of Africans from all backgrounds. This is highlighted by the exclusive artist playlists created for Spirits Rejoice.