LILAS

Interview with Lilas Mukendi
August 2006, BlackGospel.com by Christopher Heron



The Gospel, according to Matthew, was to be preached to every nation, every tongue and every people. The good news first delivered by the Son of God was to remind us that we have a Father that loves us and reminds us not to worry, for He will keep us and rescue us from every circumstance, every situation and every adversity. How fitting would it be to have this message reinforced today but one of God’s children who’s lived the experience of disappointment and failure but is now restored to sing about His overwhelming love to every nation and culture and generation?

Lilas Mukendi is such a person. Call her the lily of the valley. Her courageous spirit was fortified early on by the painful experience of failing by mortal standards yet rising again to testify about God’s restoring love. Her cosmopolitan upbringing and international exposure makes her a perfect candidate for divine diplomacy here on earth, whether she’s witnessing for her Lord in Africa, sharing the good news in France or singing her songs in the United Kingdom. BlackGospel.com spoke with this strong, saved and sanctified woman, whose recording – Don’t Worry – is the theme song she sings in her heart all the day long.

Christopher Heron: Lilas, you’re originally from France, a place not known internationally for its Gospel music. Tell us how popular Gospel music, both traditional and Urban Contemporary formats, is in your native land, as compared to the UK and America.

Lilas Mukendi: Before I answer I need to clarify something regarding history. The first Blacks to arrive in France came during the war with Algeria at around 1960 and I was among the first black-French born in France. If you look in the UK and America, black people have been there from generation to generation. We are living in the last days and there is a Gospel movement coming slowly to France. I heard few French singers singing Gospel in French and they sound so great!

CH: You’re a very cosmopolitan woman with African heritage, French customs and an English residence. How has your family upbringing and international experience shaped your view of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? And how comfortable are you to sing and witness as a Christian to different cultures in different languages?

LM: My parents grew up in a Christian home. My mother's father was a pastor and prophet. My parents were baptized seven years ago. I thank God so much for my parents, they are great. My parents always had strong principles and these principles saved me from many things. Moving to the UK helped me to be open-minded to different types of people and genres of music.

UK is also the place where I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I came to the UK when I was 19 years old to study Business Management at University. I needed to be far away from home and from France, to really see who Jesus is. The kind of church we were going to, for instance, we were not allowed to dance or even clap during worship. It’s in the UK that I have learned the true meaning of worship. Ministering to different cultures in different languages, that is one of my dreams, actually God showed me I would be singing “Don’t Worry” to many nations gathered together.

I thank God because at this time, I can sing in French, Lingala (my parents language) and English, I also tried my husband’s language, Zulu, actually I’m trying to get him to teach me. I would like to learn Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese. I’m very passionate about languages maybe because I grew up in a country where they encourage you to learn languages.

CH: Lilas, you speak very openly about that humbling experience several years ago, as a young single woman, when you discovered you were pregnant. How did that experience affect your spiritual life? And how has the arrival of your child helped your Christian faith today?

LM: It affected my spiritual life deeply, for a year God would not give me a song, the last one I wrote was Psalm 32. God taught me to humble myself before him and serve Him with a true heart. This year during an encounter in church, I was singing in tongues and in English, at the feet of Jesus, and I saw myself washing His feet. I didn’t understand the meaning of it at first, but God revealed to me that I’m a true servant. From that moment, God has opened doors for me by giving me new songs and giving me the opportunity to release "Don’t Worry".

My baby girl, Akhona, is 11 months now and she is such a blessing. She sings "Da Da Da" a lot and raises her hands. Children are so innocent and God wants us to have a child-like faith. I have learned God's love through my daughter, the love that I have for her I can't describe it. So, what more can we ask of God, who has millions of children all over this earth. Some worship him and some don’t, some love Him and some don’t.

CH: You’re now a married woman who has studied business education and feels a direct calling to ministry as a recording artist. What are some of the signs you received over the years that God was instrumental in your experiences? And when you look back at those experiences that allowed you to grow into the woman you are today, what are some of the most valuable lessons you have learned as a Christian woman?

LM: I believe God had His hands on me since I was born. From the age of four, I used to sing my own songs. As I was growing, I always wanted to sing. I didn’t grow up in a rich family, but I remember asking my father to buy me a keyboard when I was 5 or 6 years old. When I turned 9, my dad bought me a keyboard and I started to compose my first songs. I believe God taught me to play the piano; I never had any music lessons except at school. My keyboard is still working up until today. My younger sister who is 8 years old now is the one playing with it. Who knows? God might use her in music too.

As a Christian woman, the most valuable lessons that I have learned is to be humble and focused. Being young and in the ministry, you can be easily led astray if you don’t humble yourself before God and before people, which means not looking down upon anyone. God will resist you if you are like that. Stay focused. I have learned not to be distracted by small things. In life, people will always try to upset you but what makes you the person that you are, is how you react to things and I have learnt to stay focused on what I’m supposed to do, even though sometimes it is not easy.

CH: Lilas, I want you to take us back to that special experience in church, when you saw yourself, in a vision, washing the feet of the Lord and how you realized at that moment that you were to be a servant. What was your life like during that period? And how did God reveal Himself to you? And did you have any doubt about what you were going to do for the rest of your life?

LM: Like I mentioned earlier, I fell pregnant outside marriage. And even though we got married before I gave birth, I was very confused. I knew I would serve the Lord in songs, but I didn’t know how all of that would come about. My close friends turned their backs on me, my family was not very happy too and I felt like I didn’t want to dwell on this earth anymore.

After I gave birth, I went through depression. I would just lock myself in the house and close the curtains and just sit looking at this baby. The wonderful thing is that whenever I needed something, God would provide. God really revealed himself to me during that meeting in church. I was tired of the way I was feeling about myself. I took a bold step and poured out my heart and asked everyone to pray for me. God delivered me that day.

CH: The song – Don’t Worry – was written 4 years ago. Did you always know that you would eventually record this song? And what does this song mean to you and what is the essential message you want every listener to receive when listening to this song?

LM: I love “Don’t Worry” and I listen to it everyday as it ministers to me and gives me that energy for the day. I thank God so much for allowing me to record that song. I knew I would have done it some day but I didn’t know when. I remember waking up one morning and all I could hear was those strings from Heaven. And then God gave the word, His children shouldn’t worry about terrorist attacks, wars and famine... because He's keeping His promises. So let’s stay focused on Him as those things are just distractions. The verse for this song is Philippians 4:6: "Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God...

CH: Finally Lilas, what is you wish and prayer for your album – Don’t Worry? What has inspired you to write, produce and release this album for the public?

LM: God inspires me a lot, just by the way He is, not for the things He does. He seems to always make me experience something with Him and it ends up in a song. My prayer for this album is for God to touch each person who listens to it and that it will give them encouragement especially to the young people, encouragement in what they do for the Lord, to press through, stay focused no matter what is happening around us.

Psalm 32:3-7, means a lot to me. It’s very deep. I wrote that song when I was pregnant. This song talks about repentance and shows you the kind of relationship you can have with God. God wants His people, actually everyone to come to repentance and be free. I always took the issue of repentance very serious. It is actually very intimate to repent, even though God sees everything. But to have the strength to do it, God admires that and He doesn’t take it lightly.

I also hope that God will open doors, through my CD, to minister in teaching to young people especially young girls. The challenges I went through makes me the person I am today and I had to go through them so God can use me to help somebody else.

For more information on Lilas Mukendi, visit her official website at www.lilasonline.com or at www.myspace.com/lilasonline. You can email Lilas Mukendi at lafluer_online@yahoo.co.uk or by calling 011-44-780-481-1302.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- WWW.BLACKGOSPEL.COM

On the 22nd of September 2004, Lilas La Fleur was interviewed and performed on the “Dream on TV” on the God Channel; go to her myspace page to watch it.
- The God Channel

Lilas La Fleur was called and interviewed by ITV, one of the UK national channel and was viewed on GMTV program.
- ITV

A NORTH-EAST singer is hoping to take the gospel music world by storm when she releases her debut single this week.

Lilas Mabaso has launched her music career after years of dreaming about turning professional.

Lilas, 24, who is originally from Normandy, in France, moved to Teesside six years ago because she wanted to learn English so she could write songs in the language. "I write all my own songs, including the lyrics and music," she said.

Her first single, Don't Worry, was produced at Castlegate Studios, in Stockton, and is due for release next Saturday.

Lilas, who isn't a trained musician, has put together a modern sound that she hopes will appeal to young people, whether they're Christian or not.

The mother-of-one, who studied business management at Teesside University, said: "I've always loved music and was making up songs from the age of four. Music is in the family.

" My dad, Vanto Mukendi, is a singer and my uncle, Diblodibala, is a well-known singer in Africa."

Lilas, who lives in Walter Street, Stockton, is married to Mawande and has a nine-month-old daughter, Achona.

She hopes her unique and strong voice coupled with a gospel and R'n'B sound will lead to success.

9:46am Monday 10th July 2006

http://archive.thenorthernecho.co.uk/2006/7/10/230950.html
- The Northern Echo

AUGUST, 2006 ON BLACKGOSPEL.COM - REVIEW BY EM FERGUSSON
Lilas Mukendi Mabaso, a young songstress originally from Paris, has released her newest single, Don’t Worry. Currently living in the north-eastern region of England, Lilas is a gifted musician with something more than talent to share. Her music conveys the everlasting message that God is greater than what we can imagine.
Fused with soft sounds and an edgy beat, Don’t Worry was written four year ago and is based on Philippians 4:6: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” The mid-tempo ballad speaks to the importance of surrendering to God and being thankful for what He continues to give on a daily basis.
A second single, Psalms 32, is a reflective song that speaks about Lilas’ past experience. A lot of emotion is conveyed in this stirring, mellow piece. Lilas not only plays the piano; she has also learned to play the guitar and produces her own music. In sharing a gift that God has given her, Lilas has the means to encourage her fans in their spiritual walk.
Both singles are released on La Fleur Records, a company Lilas set up in 2006. At 24 years old, she is on her way to sharing her talent for the Lord by blessing the world over. Her website, www.lilasonline.com contains information on the young singer, including an online journal. Lilas’ single, Don’t Worry, can be heard by visiting the site www.myspace.com/lilasonline.
- www.blackgospel.com