Blinded by your grace

Sitting down with Louis Theroux, platinum-selling rapper, Stormzy, reveals how important his faith is to him

In episode one of Louis Theroux Interviews… the award-winning journalist met one of the most successful British rappers of all time: 29-year-old Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr, better known as Stormzy.

After two years out of the spotlight, Stormzy welcomed Louis into his home, to sit down for a frank and revealing conversation that covered many aspects of his life, including his faith, which we are told is the ‘bedrock of everything’ the rapper does.

Stormzy has never shied away from singing about his faith, but in this interview he reveals details about his church life and personal journey to coming to know God for himself.

Here are five takeaways from the interview…

1. His faith only recently became his own

Stormzy grew up in church and says he’s loved God all of his life, but it was only during the national lockdown that he found faith for himself. Speaking in front of his mother, Stormzy said: ‘As much as you raised me in church, I’ve got to know God for myself…during the pandemic there was a grown man realisation, there was an adult realisation of like: Oh wow! This is what it means to pray. This is what this scripture means.’ He goes on to say that being alone and not touring or recording enabled him to be still and just be himself.

2. He goes to church. A lot

The cameras followed Stormzy and his mum to a small gathering in Camberwell where a group shared testimonies and sang praises to God. We’re told in the interview that Stormzy attends these monthly Christian meetings as well as attending a church in Brixton every week. The rapper also hosts a weekly Bible study at his house. This means the bestselling book of all time is being studied by one of the world’s biggest artists and his friends.

3. Coming off social media helped him hear God speak

Louis’ eyebrows moved upwards at a rate of knots when Stormzy said coming off social media helped him her from God. But it makes sense. Stormzy isn’t the first person to reap the benefits of a digital detox. After all, allowing your phone to be a constant portal to the opinions of millions can’t be good for anyone’s spiritual wellbeing. Switching off is all part of the rapper’s maturing – a theme which crops up a lot in the 44 minute programme. Stormzy spoke often of ‘becoming a man’ and not acting like ‘a boy’ any more, especially when it comes to relationships.

4. He’s learning about forgiveness

Stormzy’s father walked out when he was a child. The story goes that he ran off with another woman. On one of his earlier tracks, Lay Me Bare, Stormzy explicitly sings about his anger towards his father. Remarkably, in the five years since recording this song, the singer’s anger appears to have been replaced with forgiveness. The deep hurt which motivated that song is being healed, he told Louis. Stormzy then shared the following lyrics to a song on his new album:

‘Please Lord give me the strength to forgive my dad because he is flawed and so am I. So who am I to not forgive a man who tries? I see his soul I know it cries but with this pain I’ll… Rather paint and try and turn this broken picture into something that it aint. This pain I’d rather hold because it made me who I am. It’s probably time I let it go.’

Summing it up, the rapper simply said: ‘I’ve gotta give him the same grace that I want from the world.’ He hasn’t quite been reconciled with his father, but he wants to. He wants to forgive him and let go of all the hurt and pain.

5. He’s trusting God to bring him a wife

Stormzy appeared reluctant to divulge the details, but spoke of having made ‘mistakes’ when it came to his long-term relationship with TV presenter Maya Jama. The split was clearly painful and has led to a lot of reflection.

He might be single and living in a ‘bachelor pad’, but Stormzy is dreaming about a future filled with family. Revealing he’s purchased a large house in south London, which is in the middle of being renovated, the rapper is at his most relaxed when sharing his dream of a picturesque Christmas filled with his future wife, kids and extended family. ‘I believe God will bless me with a family,’ he says, explaining that this aspiration to settle down is new.

Like all Christians, Stormzy is on a journey. What started as a faith formed from his family background, has now become something deep and personal to the rapper. His interview with Louis Theroux shows that he is committed to following God and trusting him, even when life gets tough, and even when God asks him to do something extremely difficult – like forgive his father from all the pain he has caused.

Watch the full interview on BBC iPlayer.