Renowned gospel artiste and songwriter, Dr. Panam Percy Paul, has come forward to reveal that he once turned down a lucrative £24 million recording contract in 1995 because the firm wanted him to reduce referencing “Jesus” in his songs.
In an interview with Pastor Emmanuel Iren, the music legend opened up on how the three-year contract, worth around N7 billion at the time, came with conditions that would have weakened his faith.
According to Panam Percy Paul, the record company wanted him to employ variations such as “Righteous One” or “Greatest Lover” instead of explicitly referencing Jesus.
“The catch was, ‘Can you tone down the number of times you mention the name Jesus in your songs?’ ” he recalled.
“One of them even said to me, ‘You don’t even have to mention the name Jesus. You can call Him by other names.'”
Horrified at the implication, he stood firm in his conviction. “I told them, ‘You keep the money while I keep the name,'” he declared.
The gospel legend was also concerned about the growing commodification of gospel music, lamenting how record labels and marketers now instruct artists on how to construct their songs.
“Today, the excess is that music ministry has now become a music business,” he continued. “The business now dictates to the ministers what to do, how to sing, and when to sing.”
