Gospel Music Is Now Polluted

Mrs Deborah Adebola Fasoyin, leader of Good Women Choir, CAC, the group that sang the ever green song ‘Oodun nlosopin’ spoke with P.M.Entertainment about the group, her career among other things.

What have you been doing, because people have not heard from you for a very long time?

Well, I’m in Lagos to take care of my grand kids and still going on with the Gospel work.

So after Odunlosopin, you have not really released another album?

No. That was our fifth album. We have other hits. Apart from Oodun nlo sopin, there are Oodun yi a tura and others.

What was on your mind when Oodun nlo sopin was being composed?

Actually, there was nothing on our minds when the song was being composed, because the way we compose our song is due to the environment and before we do the composition we pray and fast , we then give thanks and praises to God Almighty.

But you will quite agree with me that Oodun nlo sopin was and is the most popular?

Not only that, we had a lot of popular albums too. It is just that one is more popular than the other.

How many of you were in the band then?

We were about one hundred and ten because the choir was that of CAC of Ibadan and every parish of the CAC church had to contribute singers and by doing so every member had to form their own group and from there outstanding member of each group is chosen. I was one of the outstanding members then, but during the creation of states, the group was reduced to thirty-seven because some of us had to go back to our husbands’ states. After some time, some of us travelled abroad and some went into various businesses. Right now we are about twelve. We have some of our members in Ibadan, Ado-Ekiti, Abeokuta and I am the only member in Lagos. Whenever we have any engagement, we ask them to come and after that we ask them to go back to their various stations.

Is the band basically for CAC?

When we started, it was basically for CAC but when we continued we had other denominations.

But the group is known as Good Women choir of CAC?

Yes, that is our original name and it has not changed despite the fact that there are other denominations that have blended with us, the name still remains CAC Good Women Choir, Ibadan.

How do you share proceeds you make from the shows?

That is the miracle, it is God that takes care of us and the band, because before you can be a member of the band, you have to be married and a working woman and we were ready to contribute our quotas to propagate the gospel so we don’t expect anything materially from the band but being good to the band.

Don’t you even make money from the sales of the albums?

From the sales of the albums, we made profit, when the profit comes, we spend it on the choir and that has been the miracle. We don’t share it because we have it in mind that we are working for God.

How did you get the charisma to lead about a hundred people?

It takes the grace of God and I am not the founder of the band. I am one of the members, it is by the grace of God that I was asked to lead, we are all up to the standard of leading a particular song and there is no special thing that makes me the leader and it was by the grace of God that I was picked to lead the band.

How did you develop the voice?

I told you that we always fast and pray and by that, every time we pray and fast we just discover that God gives us a unique voice and we just use it to praise Him.

How did you know you have that wonderful voice?

I knew that ever since I was a youth because I was a member of the choir in my church and I led in the Anglican church choir in Oyo town, Oyo state. I have passion for singing since I was a youth and that inspiration has been there even when I got married.

What are your impressions about artistes that sing gospel music apart from your own music?

Well, the songs that are being released now are for commercial purpose and not to spread the gospel, but during our days, we put ourselves in fasting and prayers, read the Bible, the word of God so as to build the environment and the people. Now, the new gospel artistes are really trying and we still have people who sing very inspiring songs. Senwele Jesu sings a very good song and there are other artistes that I can’t remember their names that sing very good songs too.

What is happening in the gospel music industry and the songs we are listening to now?

What is happening in the gospel music industry is the position of the country, Nigeria, because not everybody wants to go into gospel music in Nigeria and some of our children want to sing because of the money and they are not into the gospel song. When they come out of school there is no job and when they see their mates singing they want to sing so that they too can earn enough money.

So gospel music has been polluted?

Yes, it has been polluted because the people just go there and begin to sing rubbish. Look, if you want to go into gospel music, you have to give your life to Christ so that when you are singing people will see the light of God shining in you and that is what we mean by real gospel artistes or music. Opelope Anointing also sings better songs and when you want to go into music, it is the Lord that will see through your heart. When people come to me and ask me to pray for them because they want to go into music, I usually ask them if they want to release because of money or for God because I don’t see your heart or do you want to propagate the gospel because the sky is not your limit in life?

Have you been able to make money in the gospel music and what are your ups and downs as a gospel music artiste?

Number one, I told you that we didn’t go into gospel music because of money and that we are into gospel music because we want to propagate the gospel to the youths out there and we also need money but we don’t sing because of the money. We know God will not come down and give us money, that is why when we sing and put all the money we make into spreading of the gospel. Mind you, I was working then and part of the condition for being a member of the band is that you must be a worker. So we don’t rely on what comes out from the songs we release.

What are you doing apart from music?

My children and I have come to take care of my grand children in Lagos. When the time to release music comes, we will all come together and if you want me to sing for you now you can just bring Gangan and I am ok.

Do you really do rehearsals before going on stage?

We don’t really need to rehearse much before going into the studio but we do a bit of alingnment because we have stayed together as choir members to know our lines and when the music starts, the holy spirit will teach us how to dance because you don’t need to learn how to dance and I don’t rehearse before I can dance but we rehearse before we go for production of the music in the studio.

Are you doing any personal project for now?

Presently I am with my children and then taking care of my grand children but, if anybody invites us to perform, we will all go to the event and perform for them and come back home. We have not released any song yet because the holy spirit has not asked us to release any song yet. But I have my own two singles titled Imule Ife while the other one is Ogun ikore and they are both singles. I have a singing family and they are just four, two boys and two girls and the first one is just 50 years old and I am 72, I am a young woman.

What is the legacy you want to leave for the younger generation?

The legacy is that people should know God and I believe that if we know God, the sky is not the limit for your life. The main thing is to know God and let Him be involved in your life because the Lord will soon come.