Renowned gospel singer and songwriter, Dr. Panam Percy Paul, has revealed that he turned down a £24 million record deal in 1995 after being asked to limit the mention of “Jesus” in his songs.
In an interview with Pastor Emmanuel Iren, the gospel music veteran shared that the three-year contract, worth approximately N7 billion at the time, came with conditions that challenged his faith. The record label suggested he replace the name “Jesus” with alternative terms such as “Righteous One” or “Greatest Lover” to make his music more commercially appealing.
“The catch was, ‘Can you reduce the number of times you call the name Jesus in your songs?’” Panam Percy Paul recounted. “One of them even said to me, ‘You actually don’t need to mention the name Jesus. You can call Him other names.’ I was shocked, so I told them, ‘You can keep the money while I keep the name.’”
He also expressed concern over the growing commercialization of gospel music, lamenting that record labels and marketers now dictate artistic direction rather than allowing musicians to stay true to their spiritual convictions.
“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.”
