My father doesn’t condemn how I choose to express myself – Pastor’s daughter

A Nigerian gospel singer, Ayobami Adesanya, also known as Seraph’s Praise, has said her father’s status as a cleric does not have any overbearing influence on her life choices.

The lady who is the daughter of a Cherubim and Seraphim pastor, said that she takes his teachings and guidance seriously but he has not put any restrictions on her.

Seraph, who spoke during an interview, said that contrary to what some might think, her father does not disapprove of her decisions, rather he is supportive of the manner she chooses to express herself music-wise.

She said; “My father’s status as a cleric in the Cherubim and Seraphim Church has significantly impacted my life and career. His teachings, guidance and support have been instrumental in shaping me into the person I am today. As a gospel singer, I have always felt supported by my father, and he has never put any restrictions on me in terms of how I express myself musically.”

On what influenced her decision to go into gospel music, she said; “I grew up listening to hymns and spiritual songs from a young age. This deeply influenced my love for gospel music, and I began singing in church at a young age. As I grew older, I became more involved in the church’s music ministry.”

In other news, gospel artiste, Mike Abdul, has said that people are putting too much pressure on him to live a lavish and extravagant lifestyle.

The ‘Blessing Now’ singer said that he thinks of giving back to society but the implementation might not be sustainable.

Mike Abdul, who spoke during an interview noted that people usually expect him to live in big house, drive luxurious cars and look a certain way.

He 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.”

He also talked about his genre of music, and how gospel artistes are not flexible because they cannot dabble into areas that secular artistes can do comfortably.

Abdul explained; “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.”

When asked how he fells about some gospel singers infusing secular lyrics into their songs he 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.”