Veteran gospel singer Dr. Panam Percy Paul has revealed that he once turned down a lucrative international record deal because it required him to compromise his faith.
Speaking with Pastor Emmanuel Iren, the renowned musician recounted how, in 1995, he was offered a three-year contract worth £24 million, which was approximately ₦7 billion at the time.
However, the offer came with a condition—he was asked to reduce the number of times he mentioned “Jesus” in his songs.
“The catch was ‘can you reduce the number of times you call the name Jesus in your songs?’ And there is more where this came from. One of them said to me, ‘You actually don’t need to mention the name Jesus. You can call Him other names like Righteous One, Greatest Lover,’” he recalled.
Shocked by the proposal, Paul immediately rejected the deal, stating that no amount of money could make him alter his message.
“I was at the peak of ministry and success in the industry. I was offered £24 million for a three-year contract. 1995, £24 million was equivalent to ₦7 billion. I told them, you can keep the money, while I keep the name.”
The gospel icon also lamented how the music industry has shifted away from ministry, with marketers and record labels now dictating how artists create their music.
“Today, the extreme is that music ministry has now become music industry, where the industry now dictates to the ministers what to do, how to sing, and when to sing. For example, it was the marketers in Alaba that encouraged the musicians to add tongues to their songs,” he noted.
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