Mike Abdul: Why gospel artistes aren’t flexible
A gospel singer, Mike Abdul, has said gospel artistes are not flexible because there are certain expectations people have of them.
In an encounter with Sunday Scoop, he said, “Gospel artistes are not as flexible as secular artistes, because they cannot talk about everything. Gospel artistes are only expected to talk on godliness and the Holy Spirit. Being a gospel artiste, one’s path has already been defined.
“On the marketing side, some people don’t want to hear certain statements from gospel artistes. It is secular artistes that are expected to sing about such things.”
Speaking on how he handles the pressures that come with fame, the singer said, “The pressure is very strong. Many times, one wants to give back to society, but that might not be sustainable. Many people usually expect others to do things that they cannot do for themselves. People expect me to look a certain way, drive a particular type of car, and live in a certain type of house or neighbourhood.”
Reacting to complains that some gospel singers infuse some secular lyrics into their songs to make it more appealing, Abdul said, “I am not sure why they do that. For some people, they have been exposed to certain themes and that is all they know. I cannot see a ‘GenZ’ whose musical atmosphere is formed by those vibes, trying to do gospel music, and tell him he cannot do it. That would be difficult.
“For instance, I came into the industry doing gospel fuji because that was the kind of music I was exposed to. So, when it was time for me to find musical expression, I did it in fuji. That was the most powerful tool in my hand, and not everyone liked it. Not everyone will like what one does.”
