NK Maduforo – Brand New

NK Maduforo is a Nigerian pop artist who asked me to examine her “brand new” song.  She released one EP and several singles, including:

• Fortified (EP, 2017)
• Abraham’s Friend (Single, 2018)
• I Do (Single, 2018)
• Brand New (Single, 2019)
• No More Broken (Single, 2020)

She also has several Youtube videos on marriage, festivals, and past performances.

Lyrics can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQRocSgsmHE&ab_channel=NKMaduforo (see the description).

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

This song is about NK Maduforo’s testimony.  She was brokenhearted, spiritually sick from her former lifestyle of sin and shame.  After knowing Jesus, she is alive, mended and healed from her former state.  Recognizing that God called her from before she was born, she proclaims Christ on the rooftops, knowing that it might cost her life to tell others about Him.  She urges unbelievers to follow suit.

Side Note: To those who are sensitive to massive repetition, Stanza’s 7-9 alternates between “Brand New”, “I’ve been found by You”, and “Ooh” on several occasions.

Score: 10/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

This song exemplifies concepts supported by Scripture.

This song does not contain a Verse/Chorus/Bridge structure.  Therefore, I assigned stanzas to each paragraph.

[Stanza 1]

Line 1-5: Maduforo explains in Stanza 2 what it means to be “brand new” and provides some clarity in Stanza 6 on what she means by “freedom”.  She also recognizes that she found God because He predestined her to salvation (Proverbs 16:4, Matthew 22:14, John 6:44, John 15:16, Acts 13:48, Romans 8:28-30, Romans 9:19-33, Galatians 1:15, Ephesians 1:4-5, Ephesians 1:11, Ephesians 2:8-9, 2 Timothy 1:9, 1 Peter 1:2, and Revelation 13:8).

[Stanza 2]

Lines 1-6: Maduforo’s testimony is that God did three things for her:

• He cleansed her from all unrighteousness (Exodus 20:20, Psalm 19:9, Psalm 51:10-19, Proverbs 14:2, and Proverbs 23:17, and 1 John 1:9).  How do we know it was unrighteousness?  Maduforo hints at it in Stanza 6.
• He filled her with Himself, or the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5, Romans 8:9-11, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:16-19, Galatians 4:6, Ephesians 5:18, and 2 Timothy 1:14).  How do we know it was Him?  The alternative is something other than God, which is what Maduforo claims He healed her from.
• He set her feet on higher ground.  How do we know it was higher ground?  According to Psalms 40:1-3, Maduforo was rescued from the pit of despair, which is much lower.  The “higher ground” described here is the solid rock, God, who is the foundation for Maduforo’s faith (Deuteronomy 32:4, 1 Samuel 2:2, 2 Samuel 22:47, Psalm 18:31, Psalm 28:1, Psalm 62:2, Psalm 94:22, Psalm 118:22, Isaiah 28:16, Matthew 7:24-27, Matthew 21:42, Acts 4:11, 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, Ephesians 2:20, 2 Timothy 2:19, and 1 Peter 2:6).

As mentioned in stanza 1, we have a better understanding of what Maduforo means by “brand new”.  She has become a new creation in Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:17).

[Stanza 3]

Line 1: See Stanza 1, line 1.

Line 2: References Casper the friendly ghost in rapid succession.

Line 3: “You heard me right!”

Lines 4 and 5: Repeats part of line 1 again for emphasis.

Lines 6 and 7: Repeats lines 2 and 3.

Line 8: Credits God as the One who found Maduforo (Luke 15:3-10).

Line 9: Repeats line 2.

Line 10: An exclamation.

[Stanza 4]

Lines 1-6: Maduforo contrasts worldly pursuits for self-improvement that, though might cure symptoms of sin, will not heal her soul.  Only Jesus can do that (Matthew 9:12, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31, John 14:6, and Acts 4:12).

[Stanza 5]

Lines 1 and 2: This is not a reference to Matthew 10:27, which is about how everything will eventually be exposed, calling us not to be afraid.  Rather, it is common imagery used to describe sharing faith with others.  Maduforo’s actions tell us that she counted the cost of following Jesus, prepared to lose her life for Him (Luke 14:25-33).

Lines 3-6: Repeats Stanza 3, lines 5-8.

[Stanza 6]

Lines 1-4: Maduforo pleads with her audience to find rest in Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30).  He may heal physically, but based on previous lines (particularly Stanza 2), Maduforo references spiritual restoration; freedom from her prior life of sin’s enslavement (Romans 6:1-11, Romans 7:4-6, Galatians 2:19-20, 2 Timothy 2:11, and 1 Peter 2:24).

Side Note: I love the phrase “My Jesus” here for two reasons.  First, I just love singing the name Jesus when worshipping Him.  More importantly, Maduforo personalizes it.  This is her Jesus.  He can be your Jesus too, if you follow Him.

Line 5: Combines parts of line 2 and 4, repeating these ideas again for emphasis.

Line 6: See commentary on lines 1-4.

Line 7: Another appeal to unbelievers, that He can make them new as He did for Maduforo.

[Stanza 7]

Lines 1-8: Reshuffles lines in Stanza 5, with a few repeats here and there.

[Stanza 8]

Lines 1-12: More repetition of ideas originated in Stanzas 1 and 2.

[Stanza 9]

Lines 1 and 2: See commentary on Stanza 8.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

This song points to a Christian worldview, with pointers such as “God” and “Jesus”, using a healthy mix of Christianese and everyday language.

While believers can easily connect the unspoken dots on spiritual purification, unbelievers may not see this connection, in part, because they aren’t aware that they violated God’s Laws and deserve eternal separation from God.  While Stanza 6 could be interpreted as guaranteed physical healing upon asking, which alludes to the Word of Faith error, phrases such as “brand new”, “filled me”, “lifted me”, and “free you” are figurative, making it more difficult to conclude this.

Still, the concept of the newness of life will attract some, perhaps leading them to seek these truths out for themselves.  

Score: 8/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It glorifies God that Maduforo testifies to His lovingkindness by transforming her from a creature of unholiness to a new creation of righteousness.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

NK Maduforo’s Brand New is a great song.  It calls unbelievers out of darkness, where Jesus can help them forsake their folly and live, bringing God glory.  Though they may not comprehend the depths of their error, perhaps this positive message will push them to learn more about this “brand new” life God offers.

This song is inspirational, but not appropriate for corporate worship.

Final Score: 9.5/10

Artist Info

Track: Brand New (listen to the song)

Artist: NK Maduforo

Album: N/A

Genre: Pop

Release Year: 2019

Duration: 3:48

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