Gospel singer claims rejected £24m record deal that sought to compromise his faith
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Gospel singer and songwriter Panam Paul has recounted how he rejected a £24 million record deal that required he limit the number of times he mentioned the Name “Jesus” in his music.
He told Emmanuel Iren that the three-year contract in 1995, worth about N7 billion at the time, came with conditions that would have compromised his faith.
The record label suggested he use alternative names such as “Righteous One” or “Greatest Lover” instead of explicitly mentioning “Jesus”.
“The catch was, ‘Can you reduce the number of times you call the name Jesus in your songs?’ Paul narrated.
“One of them even said to me, ‘You actually don’t need to mention the name Jesus. You can call Him other names.’
“I was shocked, so I told them, ‘You can keep the money while I keep the name.’”
Paul expressed concern over the increasing commercialisation of Gospel music, lamenting that record labels and marketers now dictate how Gospel artistes create their music.
“Today, the extreme is that the music ministry has now become a music industry. The industry now dictates to the ministers what to do, how to sing, and when to sing.”
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