A gospel musician, Chychy Chukwu, has lamented what she described as infrequent playing of gospel music by TV and radio stations in Nigeria, saying it is forcing many gospel artistes to embrace secular music.
Chukwu, a legal practitioner, who uses Chychy as her stage name, stated this Friday, when she visited Blueprint Corporate office in Abuja, saying that many TV and radio stations prefer to repeat a particular secular music six times in day, but would only play gospel music on Sundays.
Chychy said that the discouraging attitude and poor patronage of gospel artistes, especially by TV and radio stations in Nigeria, prevent them from reaching as many souls as possible.
She said: “Music is my passion. I started writing songs at the age of eight. When I turned a teenager, I joined a choir and have been singing since then. Sometimes, I get the lyrics of my songs from my sleep and dreams. Sometimes, I would be asleep and lyrics of songs will come to me. Once I wake, I will write them down and record them later on. I have released a few tracks and album, including ‘Grateful’ and ‘I belong to God’. The tracks are about the expression of God’s love towards me. The music is not about me. I am fulfilled just to be doing music.
“I have played on the big stage with international gospel artistes, like Don Moen. We sang together at the U J Esuene Stadium, during the Calabar Carnival in 2011. Also, music even helped me out of depression. There was a dark moment in my life me, when I went into depression for about two years, as a result of family issues, but God came through for me.
“I use the weekend to sing and work on my music because I am civil servant, who is always busy preparing summons, matters and cases, though we often work on weekends too. Whenever I am not in the office, I go to the studio to sing or set up a music band in my house and invite few of my colleagues in the music industry to sing with me.
“I recorded most of my songs during the weekend, including ‘Grateful’, which was recorded on a Sunday, after church service. The visual of the song was equally recorded during the weekend. I try to use my extra time, what I would have used as recreational time, to do music. I don’t like anything to affect my work for the government. However, I try to be social all the time. Some Friday evenings, I hang out with my friends. We play, chat, go to the gym and swim. I am an exercise freak. I can stay in the gym from 6am to 12 noon.”
She added: “There are so many limitations to gospel music that I have personally considered the segregation in music. We have a lot of challenges. For instance, radio stations don’t play gospel music, unless on Sundays. Imagine if I want my song to be heard and it can only be played once in a whole week. For instance, ‘Grateful’ is being played every Sunday by radio stations, but how many people are going to hear it, even though it is played every Sunday morning?
“But the other side, which they call secular music, they play it everyday. In fact, a song can be played six times a day. So, these other songs that are being played more than six times a day have more chance to gain grounds than a song that is being played once a week.
“So, the gospel music is not being promoted. It is being limited too much. This is all over the place, all over the world. The same opportunity should be given. Once it is music, it should be played every day. That is one of the challenges. Having come out of depression, one of the things I avoid doing is being critical. I am a positive person. Radio stations and TV stations are not helping matters when it comes to gospel music. They have placed a limitation on gospel music and it is a very bad thing. There are radio stations that don’t play gospel music at all; not even by chance or mistake.
“It is so discouraging that I have personally considered not singing gospel music. If I can think of that and have even been advised against singing gospel music, imagine what others are passing through. I have been told that my music will be played regularly if I sing secular music, even just yesterday. It is that bad.
“However, I sing with passion from God. I am not in music for the financial gains, but to touch lives. In fact, I consider myself a fulfilled person because of the way my music has been impacting on lives. We have financial challenges, but gospel music boils down to passion. You fund what you love.”
