HAVING ASKED a group of people to name the first Gospel artist that comes to mind, it was no surprise that 74% of responses listed prominent male figures within the Gospel industry, with the most mentioned Gospel artist being Kirk Franklin, followed by names such as Donnie McClurkin and Israel Houghton.

Whilst artists like Cece Winans and Shirley Caesar were also identified, more work needs to be done to showcase the talented women behind faith-filled music. 

Paula Michelle is passionate about tackling this disparity within the Christian music scene and as the founder and producer of SheHH podcast, which seeks to celebrate Christian women and their artistry by amplifying their voices through a collection of interviews, where artists share their stories. 

As a podcast, SheHH is now in its third year and has conducted over 40 interviews with Christian female artists. We reached out to Paula to get more details on her heart behind it and the exciting future that she and her team are planning. 

Just out of interest, why the name ‘SheHH’ for the Podcast? 

Paula: SheHH is a play on CHH a recognisable acronym, that stands for Christian Hip Hop. I wanted a name that made it clear our focus was women in music, and whilst our initial focus was on female rap artists, we have expanded to women making Christian music in all genres.

Considering ‘SheHH’ is in its third year, what growth have you witnessed?

Paula: The growth has been tremendous! The first series was me recording phone calls so it was audio only and wasn’t great quality. Now we record UK-based artists in a podcast studio in central London and use online podcast recording software to get the best quality interviews for our virtual interviews. It started with me, in my room and now we have an international team of content editors and my sister as our creative director. I’m very proud of the journey and continue to see an increase in our followers and listeners.

There is definitely a lot to be proud of, what are some of your highlights? 

Paula: The podcast going into its fourth season, is a huge highlight, as well as, interviewing some of Gospel’s brightest stars, like GRAMMY-nominated Gospel artist, Jekalyn Carr.

Given SheHH’s specific focus on Christian women, why do you feel that women need to be heard in the Christian space? 

Paula: It’s no secret that female artists simply don’t get as much time in the limelight as they should, in comparison to their male counterparts. It’s even harder to find recognised female artists within the smaller Christian music genre. The SheHH Podcast is a series of interviews with women in front and behind the scenes of Christian Music globally. Women have stories of God at work in their lives and I believe they should be heard too.

Speaking of Christian women in music, who would you say were your favourite artists growing up and who are some of your current favourites?

Paula: Growing up I was a big fan of Mary Mary – they were my favourites! I also listened to Tamela Mann, Sinach and Nicole C Mullen. Currently though, I’m loving Asha Elia, Emandiong, CRYS and Adeshola!

Thinking about the future, what can we expect from the Podcast going forward?

Paula: We have big, BIG dreams! We are hoping to put on our own events where we can host Christian artists on grand stages. We want to run a distribution label that helps emerging artists with the production and marketing of music – we want more women as career artists (living off their music and art full-time).

Wow! So many plans and such an exciting future ahead! Thank you for sharing the journey of the SheHH Podcast but before we sign off, how can people support the vision?

Paula: You can follow us @SheHHPodcast on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and podcast platforms. Like and share our content. And if led, support financially with the production costs, as we are completely funded by me, so any donation is greatly appreciated!