Gospel-Secular Collabos Are Just ‘Noise’ — Mavis Asante
IF collaborating with secular artistes was the only means to win souls to the Kingdom of God then Gospel act, Mavis Asante would fail that mission.
This is because she has strong reservations about such collabos, insisting they are fundamentally wrong and amount to nothing but “noise.”
Speaking exclusively to Graphic Showbiz on Monday, April 28, Mavis Asante, who recently made a comeback with a single, Victory, was clear about her stance. She stressed that gospel musicians had a divine calling that should not be mixed with secular pursuits.
“First and foremost, what is the purpose and reason behind such a collaboration? Is it for fame? To win souls? For the hype and recognition or what?” she questioned.
“Honestly, every one of us has their calling and purpose, so I believe we’re two different people doing two different things. Just as a lawyer can’t be called to perform surgery, no matter how intelligent or famous he might be and vice versa, a surgeon cannot defend anyone in the dock, so is my thought and belief,” she explained.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s music scene has seen collaborations between Gospel and secular artistes that have produced some memorable hits over the years.
Songs such as Bebree by Herty Borngreat featuring Sarkodie, The Lord’s Prayer by Joyce Blessing featuring AB Crentsil, Ahobrase by Yaw Sarpong and the Asomafo featuring Sarkodie, Odo Yi Wo Hen by Lady Prempeh featuring Richie and Asem and Boys Boys by Nacee and Guru have given music lovers something to jam to, but Mavis insists such partnerships are inappropriate.
She emphasised that the mission of secular artistes did not align with that of gospel musicians, whose primary purpose was to sing about God, salvation and spiritual matters.
According to her, collaborations between the two only created confusion and diluted the gospel message.
“I believe it does nothing to the gospel message. I’ll term it as ‘noise’ in Mass Communication,” she said.
She further advised gospel artistes seeking to reach a broader audience to collaborate within the gospel fraternity instead of looking outside.
“I think there are so many gospel artistes available for this purpose. I believe that before any collaboration, a gospel artiste must pray, fast and discern very seriously. Sometimes, saying no to certain desires like the urge to have a secular artiste on your song honours God more than any big-name collaboration could ever do,” she added.
