Artist Kirk Franklin is known to millions and has amassed a staggering 20 grammys since he first started making music in the early nineties.

He was born in Texas and from very early on, aged just four, Franklin began playing the piano; by 11 he was directing his church choir. Despite a sold grounding in Gospel music his own musical influences came from Hip Hop which meant when he came to make music of his own - founding Kirk Franklin and The Family - it became a mixture of the two which others labelled 'urban Gospel'.

Franklin has had huge success releasing chart-toppers such as God’s Property (1997), The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin (2002), and Hello Fear (2011) as well as songs such as “Stomp,” “Imagine Me,” and “Wanna Be Happy?" He has won 20 Grammy awards and as both an artist and a producer he's worked with the likes of Mary Mary, CeCe Winans and Toby Mac.

Franklin often speaks candidly about his own imperfections and struggles with pride as well as his own deep faith and in this interview with Premier Gospel's Muyiwa Olarewaju he discussing his music, youth ministry and how he deals with bad press.

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Released on 11 Sep 2025