Jason Orpheus Dedicates Powerful New Song to Gay Imam Muhsin Hendricks (Listen)

Cape Town-based singer and songwriter Jason Orpheus has released his emotionally charged new single Beauty on the Fire. It’s a powerful pop ballad that he’s dedicated to the late Imam Muhsin Hendricks – the world’s first out gay imam – who was brutally assassinated in Gqeberha in February.

Beauty on the Fire is an intimate reflection on the struggles of identity, rejection, and the journey toward self-love. Written and composed by Orpheus, the track explores how societal judgement and imposed expectations can damage a person’s sense of self-worth.

“I was inspired to write the song from my own journey of self-discovery and questioning my identity, and where I fit in,” Orpheus explains. “And that the challenges of the roles we’re expected to play in society is something experienced by everyone at some point. The challenge of standing up and saying, ‘I am loved. And I have worth.’”

Inspired By the Legacy of Imam Muhsin Hendricks

Although written a few years ago and performed at the 2022 Mr Gay World pageant in Cape Town, Beauty on the Fire was unreleased until now. It has taken on new meaning for Orpheus following the violent death of Imam Hendricks, a longtime friend and spiritual guide.

“I’ve known him for a long time, and his teachings often centered around love, compassion, and self-acceptance. Which had a big influence on the writing process when I first sat down to pen the song,” Orpheus tells MambaOnline.

“So yes, you could say he inspired me to write it, because I was an activist before I became a singer. And I wanted that sense of humanity and dignity to come through in my music when the song called for it.”

Orpheus recalls that he received a message from Hendricks on that fateful Saturday morning in February inviting him to attend an event. “Three hours later he was shot and killed. It impacted me greatly,” he shares.

From Stage to Muhsin Hendricks’ Memorial

Orpheus went on to perform Beauty on the Fire at Hendricks’ private memorial service, held at an undisclosed location due to safety concerns. “This was what led to my official recording and release of Beauty on the Fire,” he says.

The lyrics resonate deeply in light of Hendricks’s legacy, especially lines like: “Beauty on the fire, burning all you fear in me / From the ashes I’ll rise higher to be more than what I’ve been (I’m worthy)”

These words echo Hendricks’s own mission to uplift LGBTQ+ people within faith communities and affirm their inherent worth.

With Beauty on the Fire, Jason Orpheus offers not just a tribute, but a powerful anthem of survival, resilience, and spiritual defiance.

The track is now available on all major streaming platforms. You can also listen to the song below.