For those who don't know, Paul Adams is a living 'gospel great' in our times. This gospeller has earned some stripes for putting God's praise on the lips of the world in quite a massive way.
Known for his soar-away gospel hits like Agidigba and So gi bu chi , Paul recently effected a change in his name and is ready to take gospel music to the next phase under this new moniker.
We had an interesting chat with him after he hinted us on the oncoming release of his song with Eben. Here, he speaks on himself, his name change, gospel music in Nigeria, and a whole lot more...
Good to have you here, Paul. For the benefit of people reading this post, especially the foreign ones, tell us about you...
:
My name is Paul Adams formerly known as Paul Agubata. I am a gospel artiste who have put out some albums in the past like 'So gi bu chi', 'Agidigba' and composed songs like Onye neme nma imela imela. I am a graduate of Library and Infomation Science from Federal Polytechnic Oko in Anambra state. I hail form Amaifeke in Orlu L.G.A of Imo Sate. I am a Nigerian ,ofcourse (Laughs).
Great. We know you for some of your great gospel songs. From what you just said, we understand you are changing your name...What prompted this?
Yeah...I am changing the name not because of any bad reason but because God wants me to do so. And there Α̲̅яε̲ other things about †̥ђε name which Α̲̅яε̲ personal to me and which I won't be able to share on social media.... In all, mγ̲̣̣̥ family is in support of it and I believe this change will help me to be of more blessings to my fans and the world at large....
Okay. I like the sound of it...Paul Adams..So, now that you have effected a name change, will it reflect any changes on your music?
Yes, it will. There Α̲̅яε̲ so many aspect of me musically that people and my fans don't know. Because I came out with †̥ђε makossa-flavor kind of gospel music, most people think that's the only genre I can do but †̥ђε truth is that I am a very vast individual musically and †̥ђε world will see that in my new jobs from now on. An example is †̥ђε song I did with Eben. We have repositioned ourselves for a global impact. There will still be some makossa-laced gospel songs in my work but I will not be limited to that. So, I implore M̶̲̥̅γ̲̣̣̥ fans to brace themselves for †̥ђε change that is here...
We are anticipating the sound of Paul Adams since we've heard Paul Agubata already. How soon will people get to hear this anticipated sound?
†̥ђε album is ready. We re just doing †̥ђε final toucesh. But †̥ђε single off †̥ђε album will be on Gospel City Naija hopefully soon. That's †̥ђε song I featured Eben on...
Great choice of artiste. Tell us a little more about this oncoming single. What inspired it? Why did you pick Eben to be on it with you? What do you want people to have in mind as they listen?
Eben is a great artiste whom I respect. I like †̥ђε grace of God upon his life. So when I called him up and told him about †̥ђε song, he said he was okay with it. And when he heard †̥ђε song with his manager, they fell in love with it and he said to me "...this song will go places" and believe me, he did justice to †̥ђε song. His delivery is superb.
†̥ђε album is ready. We re just doing †̥ђε final toucesh. But †̥ђε single off †̥ђε album will be on Gospel City Naija hopefully soon. That's †̥ђε song I featured Eben on...
Great choice of artiste. Tell us a little more about this oncoming single. What inspired it? Why did you pick Eben to be on it with you? What do you want people to have in mind as they listen?
Eben is a great artiste whom I respect. I like †̥ђε grace of God upon his life. So when I called him up and told him about †̥ђε song, he said he was okay with it. And when he heard †̥ђε song with his manager, they fell in love with it and he said to me "...this song will go places" and believe me, he did justice to †̥ђε song. His delivery is superb.
When I got inspired to do the song, it was Eben that came to my mind. There are other great guys whom I will do songs with in †̥ђε near future like Frank Edwards , but for this song, Eben was †̥ђε name that came to me. Apart from the fact that he has made a lot of landmark achievements in gospel music in Nigeria, we have shared †̥ђε same stage and above all we are in †̥ђε same ministry.
As people listen to that song, let them expect nothing but †̥ђε best. Its spiritual, its powerful, its good music. Of course, you should know that †̥ђε combination of Eben and Paul will result to something explosive...
Yeah. We plan to shoot a video for the song.
Cool. You are one of the respected gospel music ministers in Nigeria so we'll tap from your knowledge and experience. In your words, what would you say is the challenge of gospel music in this country?
Gospel music in Nigeria is evolving but we are not there yet. We still have †̥ђε problem of distribution and we need corporate bodies to start investing and sponsoring events that will promote gospel music. Gospel artistes should be given †̥ђε same support that their secular counterparts are receiving from both the government and corporate bodies.
Okay. Is there anything you think should be done on the part of the artistes?
Yeah.. We should be thorough with †̥ђε work we put out there and make sure it is of great quality. Our message should also be right. If we say we are doing gospel, let the message reflect that. We can't be secular and at the same time gospel.
A lot of people will pause and read that again. "...we can't be secular and at †̥ђε same time gospel". Can you throw some light on it?
Yaa... you know a lot of gospel artistes think their works will sell more if they pattern it after a certain secular act who's doing well out there, but that's not right. People want to feel Gods presence when they listen to gospel songs so let's not focus on †̥ђε groove and forget †̥ђε message. I belive gospel music can be groovyy and at †̥ђε same time carry God's presence. We must not loose sight of that. Striking that balance is where †̥ђε work is. A secular song can be groovyy and have no message whatsoever and people will buy it, but you can't say †̥ђε same for a gospel song. Once †̥ђε message is not there, you have missed it already. That's what makes gospel music unique. In as much as we wanna be trendy, we must not loose focus of who we are and what we represent. Remember you can't be more worldly than the world and you can't work †̥ђε kingdom system with †̥ђε worldly system.
Okay, as we round up on this session with you, what's your final word to your fellow gospel music ministers, listeners, stakeholders, and others?
Let's remember that God is counting on us to spread His words to †̥ђε ends of †̥ђε world. We have what †̥ђε world needs and if we package it well they will come looking for it. The world will not promote †̥ђε kingdom for us, so I call on †̥ђε kingdom citizens whom God have blessed with wealth to come forth and support gospel music and promote it too. We need many more gospel music TV stations, radio stations etc to massively promote gospel music. Our listeners shud support us massively too. Their support will encourage us to stay focused and on course...
Great. It was legendary to have you here. We pray that God's gift in your life will always find expression and He will dully reward you with a crown of His glory
Amen. Thank you for †̥ђε time.
Great Interview! I enjoyed every bit of it. God bless your work for the gospel.
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