Minnesota college student hopes to comfort others with Christian-based music app

Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. — When Lilly Goyah struggled with mental health, she found comfort in Christian music.

Now, as a 22-year-old senior at the College of St. Benedict, Goyah is pursuing an individualized major that blends music and business.

She’s part of the university’s Entrepreneur Scholars program, a selective course designed to help students launch business ventures.

For Goyah, the program became a launchpad for her idea: ANP Streaming, a Christian-based music platform tailored to users’ emotional needs. Her vision stems from her personal experiences.

Born to Liberian immigrants, Goyah’s childhood was marked by frequent moves between shelters, government and transitional housing on the East Coast and, later, in Minnesota.

She had a brief hope of housing stability when she was in eighth grade, when she and her brother moved to live with her father in Champlin, a northwest suburb in the Twin Cities. That hope shattered when the family returned one day to find the locks changed and their belongings gone.

“We had been through a lot of instability, obviously and homelessness before that. But I had a lot of hope once we were able to move into that house,” Goyah said. “When we were put back in that shelter, I had this feeling of we were never going to get past that part of life.”

The upheaval, combined with school struggles and a falling out with her father, plunged Goyah into depression and suicidal thoughts.

By the end of her freshman year at Anoka High School, Goyah had made the decision to end her life.

“For me, that was one of the worst moments ever. Because while I was also struggling with mental health, I didn’t relate to or feel a genuine feeling when it came to religion, Christianity, or God … I had this disconnection from religion as a whole,” she said.

Before she could act, her mother sent Goyah on a life-changing youth retreat in Olney, Maryland.

On the first night, Goyah watched a skit depicting a child grappling with depression and suicidal thoughts.

“That kind of changed my mind and my thoughts toward Christianity,” she said.

Her views on Christian music, the only genre she was allowed to listen to growing up, also changed on the trip. At one point, she viewed the genre as “corny” and “not a real representation of life.”

Those views quickly shifted during the retreat after she heard the song “My World Needs You” by Kirk Franklin for the first time. He quickly became her favorite artist, and still is to this day.

The retreat sparked a new hope for Goya, who graduated from Anoka High School in 2020.

“Music was really pivotal in helping me get through those moments and have a healthy coping mechanism,” said Goyah, who was also part of her high school choir.

After graduation, Goyah followed her friends to Augsburg University in Minneapolis. However, she quickly found herself isolated and again struggling with her mental health.

She realized a need for change and, on the advice of her high school counselor, transferred to the College of St. Benedict in the fall of 2021. When she hit campus, Goyah took up her individualized major and discovered the Entrepreneur Scholars program.

That program is a cohort of about a dozen students, according to academic director Paul Marsnik. He noted the program’s selectivity, which usually sees about 30 to 35 applicants a year.

“We’re looking for students with what we call an entrepreneurial mindset, young people who see opportunities and get things done,” Marsnik said. The program launched 20 years ago.

One day, Goyah appeared in his office, eager to learn more about the program, which includes trips to Silicon Valley and Vietnam. Those trips allow cohort students to talk and network with companies.

“I could see her face light up; she was like, ‘Oh, this is exactly what I’m looking for,” Marsnik said.

Despite a full cohort, there was a last-minute opening that allowed Goyah to join. Marsnik said the program has featured many talented students, but he thinks Goyah is one of the best.

“She’s an inspiration to a lot of people and could be to a lot more, I think,” Marsnik said.

Goyah's original idea was a record label, but she pivoted toward ANP Streaming, a platform that she said would fill a unique need in Christian music. ANP — which stands for "A New Psalm — Streaming will offer Christian music tailored to emotional needs, filling a gap in the market, Goyah said.

“I’m really excited to put this in the space for people,” said Goyah. “If you’re not talking niche, then obviously it would be like Spotify or YouTube Music or Apple Music."

She envisions ANP as a way for users to connect with faith and find solace through music, just as she did.

“The No. 1 mission with the application, of course, with it being Christian-based, is kind of helping people to discover individual relationships with God, which can be fostered through music,” Goyah said.

During her time in Vietnam, she secured a partnership with Saigon Technology to develop the app for an estimated $50,000. Goyah has opened a crowdfunding campaign to support development costs. She is securing licensing and catalog agreements to make the platform a reality.

ANP Streaming will launch a “freemium” model, Goyah said. That will include a free version with advertisements and a premium version with no ads and additional features. The application will be available in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

Development for the application is underway and will launch in middle to late 2025.

As music remains vital to Goyah, she has also recently started to write original songs, including "Freedom," which she performed last year on the Johnnie Bennie Media YouTube channel.

While unsure if she’ll remain in the area or head somewhere like Nashville, Goyah is eager to see where her vision can have the most significant impact as the app is developed.

“I’ve just been so overwhelmed with how amazing this community is and how resourceful it is,” Goyah said. “So part of me really wants to stay, but I think wherever this journey takes me and where I can have the most impact is really, ultimately, where I’m looking to go.”

Lilly Goyah has launched a campaign on Indiegogo to help fund her Christian music mobile app, ANP Streaming.

To donate to the campaign, visit tinyurl.com/ANPStreaming-donate. For more about ANP Streaming, visit anpstreaminginfo.com.