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| Chidinma Ekile: Source - bbc.com |
It is no longer news that Chidinma Ekile has rebranded as a gospel musician. She has gone as far as deleting all of her 'worldly' pictures from Instagram. Good for her! Nigerian 'Christians' have been welcoming her back into their fold with phrases like: "Welcome back!" "You belong in the gospel music industry." "She has left worldly music," and so on. Firstly, gospel music is not an industry. It is a ministry for which you must be called by God. If you are not called by God, you will turn your gospel music into a business and it will no longer become a ministry. The honorarium paid to you will no longer be enough. You will begin to demand for high-performance fees and special treatment. God, who has called gospel musicians, makes provisions for them spiritually. If you are not called but you decide to force gospel music on yourself just because you are a Christian, owu go blow you and it will turn into a struggle and black slide for you. In order words, it takes a lot of spirituality, discipline and self control to be a true gospel musician. Secondly, good music is good music regardless of whether it is secular or gospel or Islamic or a Bhuddist song. I listen to all kinds of songs from all over the world. Many Nigerian gospel songs do not come close to these ones. Some songs are gospel music but are still wack! One of my music teachers, Mr Akapo Emmanuel , once said:"To be a successful musician, do great music, enjoy the process and don't forget to work on the business side of your music." So, what ever kind of music that you do, do it well. Thirdly, because a musician now identifies as a gospel musician does not mean that she is a saint and that those who continue with secular music are devils. If you believe this, you are simply an ignorant being. The kind of music that one creates and performs (ministers) is not a true reflection of one's character. However, it is expected that gospel musicians be of good behaviour. Fourthly, gospel and secular music have their place in our society. You cannot play gospel music all of the time. For example, do you play gospel music while copulating with your partner? Certainly, you will need to play romantic and sensual songs to get in the mood and keep the atmosphere conducive for the occasion. Secular music is needed for music therapy too. Secular music is needed for self expression that cannot be found in gospel music. Secular music promotes and preserves our culture. Are your traditional/cultural songs gospel music? You will need to listen to feel-good music just for the sake of it. Some jazz pieces do not have vocals and you will delight in them. You must have listened to Simi's songs. She crossed over from gospel music to secular music. Are her lyrics sinful? So, when a musician decides to be a secular or gospel musician, pick your choice, take a chill pill, take a back seat and quit judging! Read similar posts on this blog: © DJ Irawo May 3, 2021 |
4 comments:
Well written piece. Food for thought.
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Thank you for reading.
Thank you for reading, Jamesy.
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