ARE YOU CALLED OR UNCALLED FOR GOSPEL MUSIC?

In Nigeria, there are two main categories of music and they are; gospel music and secular music. 

Some other set of people call their kind of music, inspirational.

I have discovered that before a musician sets out to create music for the public, he or she first decides whether to do gospel or secular music.

In my opinion, gospel music is not a class of music that a musician decides to choose. He or she must be led by the Holy Spirit to spread the gospel with his or her songs.

Some musicians simply compose music and because it consists of heavenly words like Olorun, Jehovah, Jesus, Father, etc, they categorize themselves as gospel musicians.

Some gospel musicians' way of life is a far cry from the songs that they minister. I am not their judge. It is simply my observation.

It is compulsory for gospel musicians to be born-again Christians before and during their music career. You must work with the Holy Spirit to save souls, praise and worship God.

If you are a full-time gospel musician, there will be times that you will run into problems of lack of finance but God will provide for you because He has called you to do this work and He will provide for your every need.

Those that are testing the gospel music waters for money will get frustrated and probably change to the secular genre of music because they have not gotten the wealth they seek from gospel music. 

For those who are into gospel music for the money, Frank Edwards has a few words of advice for you.

According to Frank Edwards in his interview with the Punch newspapers, I quote;

“Gospel music is a ministry and not an industry.

‘If you are a gospel minister, you have to know you are in a ministry. If you are in it for the money, you may be disappointed…. It is not that you will not make money in the long run but that is not the focus. The focus is to preach the gospel of Christ through your music. When your focus is to first do something that would sell, you would lose focus. If you want to do it for the business, then try secular music.

‘You need to be called to be a gospel artist because you would have to endure when the money is not forthcoming and you have to wait on the Lord and learn to use your faith. You would even be popular and you would still be climbing bikes.”

Secular music artists may also decide to write and perform gospel music at some point in their career. They should not be castigated for doing this because asides from being secular artists, they are also Christians and would love to worship God via their songwriting, singing and instrument playing skills and go back to their secular music afterwards.

For example, I intend to include my songs that edify God into my second album; ten songs in all. You may call it gospel music but I am neither a gospel musician nor a secular musician. I am not even an inspirational musician. I simply do great music.

With my second album, I just want to praise God as a human being and my fans and new converts may decide to worship and praise Him along with me.

R. Kelly wrote and sang gospel songs like YOU SAVED ME and THE STORM IS OVER. He also wrote I LOOK TO YOU for Whitney Houston and a few more gospel songs.

While singers like Simi are switching from gospel music to secular music, rappers like Kanye West, after serenading Lucifer in a lot of his previous songs, have switched to gospel music.

Kanye has two gospel music albums titled JESUS IS KING and JESUS IS BORN. From the great songs in these albums, it seems to me that Kanye West has converted to gospel music completely. Great!

Do what you will.

Jesus loves you anyway!