Ric Hassani, the Nigerian singer, has shared his thoughts on why some artistes begin their careers in gospel music but eventually transition to secular sounds.
In an interview with HipTv, he argued that gospel music goes beyond just singing because it requires divine inspiration.
He said, however, that not all artistes can do gospel, adding that some are made to impact the world in different ways.
“Gospel is beyond singing. You have to be blessed to be able to interpret God’s words through music,” he said.
“For example, there is no way Katy Perry would communicate God’s words through music the way CeCe Winans does.
“I feel like CeCe is blessed with being able to communicate the Holy Spirit through music. Whitney Houston is blessed differently.
“So, I don’t feel this idea of everybody must be in church. Some of us were made for the world.”
Hassani said, despite being a “strong Christian” and including gospel songs in all his albums, fully transitioning to gospel isn’t his calling.
He said he is meant to impact the world with a different kind of music and not in the same way gospel artistes do.
“I also have Christian songs. I’m a very strong Christian. In all my albums, there is at least one gospel song, but that’s not my calling,” he added.
“I meant to impact the world in a different way, with a different kind of music.
“I’m not going to do it the way Frank Edwards or Mercy Chinwo is going to do it. If I do gospel songs now, it might not get traction. It’s not my thing.”
Hassani argued that the trend of moving from gospel to secular music among artistes is driven more by creative fulfilment than financial gain.
“People leaving gospel music for secular music is not about money,” he said.
“The kind of satisfaction that comes from being able to think of an idea of a tune and put it on the record and create music is beyond money.
“It’s bigger than any satisfaction money can give you.”
