Kirk Franklin and Davido to Release “I Hope In You” on Friday

American gospel singer Kirk Franklin and Nigerian singer Davido will release a joint song, “I Hope In You,” on Friday, October 30, 2026. 

Kirk Franklin shared a clip of him singing a part of the song on his Instagram account. Fans anticipate the release, as it mixes the gospel genre with Afrobeats rhythms. It is Davido’s first song with a gospel singer.

Kirk, who is 56, describes the project as a reflection of his more than 30 years in music. He did not specify when the two recorded it.

The duo’s friendship dates back to May 13, 2022, when Davido released “Stand Strong” with The Samples, Kanye West’s Sunday Service choir. A video later showed Franklin singing the song word for word. Davido shared the clip on May 20, 2022, and wrote, “A special thank you to Kirk Franklin for joining us on this movement.”

Kirk attended Davido’s white wedding to Chioma Adeleke in Miami on August 10, 2025. On November 30, 2025, fans also discovered photos of the two together and guessed that Davido was planning a gospel song.

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Kirk Franklin is a renowned veteran gospel singer. He won his 20th Grammy Award on February 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. He also won for “All Things” in the best gospel performance/song category.

On June 9, 2025, he received the Ultimate Icon Award at the BET Awards in Los Angeles, alongside Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, and Snoop Dogg. He told the audience, “Thank you to all of you who still listen.” The same night, he won his eighth Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award, a record for the category. He won it for “Rain Down on Me” with GloRilla and Maverick City Music.

In 2026, his single “Do It Again” received a nomination for Artist of the Year at the 41st Stellar Gospel Music Awards. Organizers named him host of the August 15 show at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.