Panam Percy Paul, gospel singer and songwriter, has shared how he rejected a £24 million record deal in 1995 because it required him to limit mentioning “Jesus” in his songs.
In an interview with Pastor Emmanuel Iren, the gospel artist explained that the three-year deal, valued at approximately ₦7 billion at the time, came with conditions that conflicted with his faith.
The record label suggested he use alternative phrases like “Righteous One” or “Greatest Lover” instead of explicitly mentioning Jesus, BusinessDay reports.
“The catch was, ‘Can you reduce the number of times you call the name Jesus in your songs?’” Paul recalled. “One of them even said, ‘You don’t actually need to mention 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 also criticised the increasing commercialisation of gospel music, noting how record labels and marketers now influence the creative direction of artists.
“Today, the extreme is that the music ministry has now become a music industry,” he said. “The industry now dictates to the ministers what to do, how to sing, and when to sing.”
