Khaya Mthethwa is on a crusade to add some zing to gospel.

The Idols SA winner dissed older gospel artists for being irrelevant.

"Young people are not listening to the likes of Deborah Fraser and all these traditional gospel artists because we don't relate.

"We might appreciate it but there's no connection between us and them," said Mthethwa who released his latest CD/DVD titled The Dawn last week.

He says it will bring younger people to gospel.

Mthethwa was the first, and probably the last, artist to record at the ill-fated Durban Christian Centre Jesus Dome, which burnt to the ground a few months after his performance.

He said the experience was humbling even though it didn't dawn on him then until after the tragedy of the fire.

For him, the performance was a moment of thanking God. He said the album was his life.

"If I were to give my album personality, I'd say it's young, fresh, soulful, heartfelt and honest," said Mthethwa.

The singer, songwriter and producer said his approach in his forays into "trendy gospel" was because of how times had changed and also to lure young music lovers to gospel.

Mthethwa said he had a lot of respect for gospel singers who had been in the industry for a long time before him.

However, the youth didn't connect with their music as much as they appreciated the art, he said.

"I wanted to bring a different perspective of gospel music, that gospel music can be fun, it can have Drake's sound but with a God-based lyrical content."

In making the album, Mthethwa worked with industry heavyweights such as Ntokozo Mbambo, Nqubeko Mbatha, Neville D and the Uprising Band. Bheki Mthembu produced both the CD and DVD.