Gabie Ntaate ready to dance for Jesus

Gabriella Bridget Ntaate, 32, is a gospel musician with a trending song dubbed Cheza For Yesu.

She has a few awards to her name, having started out on television before launching a highly successful gospel music career. Gabie, also a former actress, will be holding her maiden concert on May 17 at Kampala Sheraton hotel. Gabie told Quick Talk about what God has done in her life and why she left media to focus on music.

Good afternoon, Gabie!

Good afternoon Quick Talk; I am okay and I give glory to God for keeping me this good.

Amen to that! A concert… what took you so long?

That would be because I do not serve myself, but Christ. So, if He had said it would take 10 years, it would be that time because it is for Christ, not for myself.

Do you think this is the right time?

I think it’s the perfect time done by God. We prayed about it for a long time and then He decided the dates and place. At first, we had a different venue for this concert, but the Bible says there are many plans in man’s heart but the plan of the Lord shall prevail.

Some would argue Sheraton is too big for you…

Yes, Sheraton would be a big place for me if I were not wearing the Spirit of the Lord, but that’s why I tell you this concert is not going to be perfected by me but by Christ Jesus; so, without Him, Sheraton is too big but with Him, Sheraton is too small for me.

Cheza For Yesu is the trending song right now, and it’s the perfect name for the concert. It was not a planned song; it was created that same day and within an hour it was done. It was really the inspiration of Christ and I prayed to the Lord to let it be a good song and most importantly, to let it be about God completely. I got what I prayed for.

You left the glamour of television to focus on music; why?

There is time for everything. I believe my time in the media was up and the time to serve the Lord had started, because even when I was still in the media, I was a gospel artiste, only that it was not pronounced.

There was a lot going on at that time and now is the time to serve the Lord fully and for me, life is that easy. It’s all about God. The end times have come and, in the end, the Lord promises that ‘I will pour out my spirit to the young people and to the old people; they will see visions, they will give praises…’ and so, all these things are happening now.

Yet, there seems to be no unity among gospel musicians…

Gospel musicians shouldn’t be fighting one another. We should come together and draw people towards God and now if you are into fights, then you are not ministering Christ. I pray they stop fighting and bring people closer to the Lord.

How many songs are in your catalog?

[Laughing] Honestly, I don’t really know, but they should be about 20 songs [under her Ntaate Music, Gabie has since 2018 had successful hits such as Brag About God, Oyitangayo, Gw’asembayo, Ruhanga Ankantorana and of course, her biggest hit yet, Cheza For Yesu.]

What is your message to upcoming musicians dreaming of making it big?

Always be humble and honest, and focus on what you really want to be because the industry is not easy. Plus, I will also encourage them to always seek the Lord in each and everything they do; that energy you invest into becoming a star, put it in the Lord and you will see how far He can take you.

What should we expect on May 17?

It will be a Spirit-filled evening, because we are praying towards that. If you come expecting anything other than Christ, then you’ll be in the wrong place. No matter who you are, the moment you enter the venue, you will surely feel that it’s a different atmosphere because the Spirit of the Lord will be present [ticket prices go for Shs 100,000, Shs 300,000 VIP and Shs 3m for a table.]

Apart from God, who else is behind your success?

I will honestly tell you there is no one other than God. You might actually get bored, because I am doing the ‘only God’ thing. It’s the only thing I know because I have seen myself before and after God and I must tell you that the margin is clear; the line between them is very strong and this is the life I didn’t know I wanted or needed; for me, there is nothing else but God.

You are a Christian with tattoos; many of your brethren in Christ will frown upon that.

We all are not perfect; yes I have tattoos and currently, I had most of them removed not because I care actually. I wouldn’t really care; I am only removing them because they were big and to me, they were no longer nice.

At the time I got them, they were nice… but let me tell you something, if you are the Lord’s, He loves you the way you are. You can’t refuse to go to church because of a tattoo, and that’s the gospel we are preaching. Everyone should be welcome even with their tattoos and they shouldn’t feel bad and remove them because it’s so expensive.

There are things that can be changed, say, indecent dressing to church, and even then, you don’t have to tell me to change, the Spirit will convict me and I will know that something is not right with my outfit.

Last message to your fans?

I call upon all my fans to come through on 17th of May for my first concert. Let’s celebrate the Lord together. And to the young generation, always stay focused and do what you love best.

Born to parents that died when she was a child, Gabie grew up with an uncle in Kireka and went to Shimoni Demonstration School, St. Lawrence for O-level, and St Noah Girls School Zzana for A-level. She then joined Makerere University for a degree in library and information science.

She acted in the NTV series Second Chance as nurse Fatima in 2014, before joining Spark TV in 2018, where she and co-presenter Ray P replaced Live Wire duo Zahara Toto and Anna Talia Oze, who had left for Next Media’s Sanyuka TV.

That same year (2018), Gabie’s music career took off in earnest and she left Spark TV in 2021 to concentrate on her music, shocking many of her TV fans with just how amazing her music talent was.