Jenangela – The Battle Is Won: Christian cinematic pop Jenangela’s debut album, The Battle Is Won, is a heartfelt exploration of faith and hope, inspired by scripture, personal experiences, and ministry teachings. Each track on the album represents a different journey, with some songs taking just days to complete, while others evolved over weeks.
The title track, “The Battle Is Won,” marks Jenangela’s first song, deeply rooted in scripture and embodying her core message of God’s love and grace. The album’s recording process was both challenging and rewarding, with Jenangela’s piano and vocals recorded at home and at various studios, including a session at The Endler Hall.
The project features a rich array of orchestral instruments and contributions from talented musicians like Emi Fukada on violin, and a French horn quartet led by Neil Smit. The final mix and master were handled by Deon Langeveld, who also crafted the electronic soundscapes for tracks like “Light Be”, “God of Hope”, and “The Battle Is Won”. With such a powerful message and anointing, this album is a must listen for any Gospel fan.
Jenangela, a gospel singer-songwriter with deep roots in her faith and a lifelong passion for music, began her journey as a little girl, always carrying a radio and dreaming of being a singer. Growing up, she immersed herself in music through various worship bands, even teaching herself to play guitar. In 1990, while watching South African singer Liz Pass perform “God Bless Africa” on television, Jenangela felt called to take her love for music more seriously.
This divine moment led her to vocal training with Liz Pass herself, where she spent 5 ½ years refining her voice and learning the art of ministry through music. Jenangela’s songwriting truly blossomed during her time at Rhema Psalmody Academy, where she wrote her first original song based on scripture, “The Battle is Won.” Although she initially performed with backing tracks, her passion for crafting her own music never waned.
After years of performing in worship settings and sharing her faith through music, a turning point came during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this turbulent time, she continued her songwriting despite a wrist injury preventing her from playing the guitar, even teaching herself piano for her newfound accompaniment. A close family friend and talented sound engineer, Deon Langeveld, offered to record Jenangela’s reworked version of “The Battle is Won,”.
The collaboration opened the door to more professional recordings, ultimately leading to the birth of her debut album. Since then, Jenangela has released five singles, each filled with scripture and a heartfelt message of hope and recorded with a dedicated team of musicians and sound engineers, including Deon, Wesley Van Der Westhuizen, and Neil Smit.
The name Jenangela comes from a combination of her first name Jennifer and middle name Angela (meaning “heavenly messenger”) which perfectly encapsulates her message. Her journey, marked by powerful moments like ministering to women in Pretoria’s prison and leading a man to faith during a church event, has been a testament to her calling. Now, with her debut album on the horizon, Jenangela continues to pour her heart and faith into every note.
Influences
Liz Pass, Margaret Becker, Amy Grant, Enya, Celtic Women, Bethel, Hillsong, Vineyard, Wagner, Thomas Newman, John Williams, Martin O’Donnell, Michael Salvatori, Jeremy Soule, Björk, Michael Giacchino, Hans Zimmer
