Christian artist Wahba sings God's praises with alternative rock

By CHRIS HANSEN ORF
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Ask most rock musicians about their live shows, and they'll usually talk about stage moves or pyrotechnics and light shows.

But ask Tempe-based Christian rocker wahba about his performances, and he thoughtfully rewords the question.

“I prefer not to call it ‘performing,' ” says the singer, 31. “It's really kind of leading (an audience) in worship. It's kind of the frame of mind I'm in when I'm writing, and the way I differentiate it is: Christian music might be songs that are about God, but Christian worship is songs written to God.”

Born and raised in Pittsburgh by Egyptian parents who moved to the States to study medicine — a path followed by wahba, who is a physician's assistant at a Valley emergency room — the singer was raised in a devout Christian household.

“My parents were raised in a (Muslim) environment where Christianity was the minority, and they were (in Egypt) until their 30s,” says wahba, who records and performs with his last name only. “They belonged to the Coptic Orthodox church, and fewer than 10 percent of the population over there was Christian. That really made their faith strong.”

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Picking up a guitar as a teenager, wahba says he received a calling to write faith-based material when he was 18, but it wasn't until a couple of years ago, after a stint as a guitarist with Valley alternative band Reign Kings, that the singer decided to answer that calling.

Putting together his own band, wahba has been playing his worship services steadily in churches — including nearly every Sunday at Crosspointe Church on 10th and Ash streets in Tempe — and coffeehouses ever since, estimating that in 2005 he and his band played more than 100 times. Natalie Grant, the top-selling Christian artist of 2005, hand-picked wahba to open her Venue of Scottsdale concert Friday.

Despite writing faith-based material, wahba sees the line blurring between contemporary Christian and nonsecular indie rock music.
“I hope that line continues to blur,” says the singer. “I'm no expert on Christian music — I don't really listen to a lot of it — I listen to Pete Yorn, Guster and newer soul singers like Anthony Hamilton and John Legend.

‘‘My goal personally when I write is to try to put into words what my heart is trying to say to God, what the church is trying to say to God, and if I can effectively do that — put those words with melodies — then I've done my job.”

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With a strong new album, “the beautiful effect,” just released, and nominations for Male Vocalist of the Year, Rock Artist of the Year and Worship Artist of the Year on indieheaven.com, wahba is spreading his worship through his melodic riff-heavy rock, funk grooves and classic power pop, and he is adamant that file sharing and downloading his music is the best way to do it.

“Christian artists in particular are out there saying that it's illegal and unethical to download their music,” wahba explains. “Well, it's God that inspired their songs, and nobody can give more than God does. I have all my copyrights through creativecommons.com, so I encourage people to download and share my music.

“God's been good at the opportunities he's given me.”