Nigerian singer Sola Allyson has said she should not be described as a gospel artist, adding that she prefers to be known simply as a singer. She also spoke openly about her marriage, saying she and her husband now live in separate homes.
The Eji Owuro singer made the remarks during an interview with Oyinmomo TV posted on YouTube on Friday.
Allyson said she has never introduced herself as a gospel act and does not mention Jesus in her songs because she believes it is not required. Switching between English and Yoruba, she said, “I don’t sing religious songs. As I am like this, I don’t call myself a gospel artist. My name is Sola Allyson. I am a singer.”
When asked why she rarely mentions Jesus in her music, she replied, “Jesus didn’t say we should be mentioning His name. He didn’t say we should use His name for PR.”
Allyson, 54, also addressed her marriage, saying she and her husband agreed to live apart even though they remain married.
She said, “I am married but not living with my husband. He stays in his house and I also stay in my house. That’s the love that people older than us didn’t let us know is hard. They make it seem like once you love each other, you will live happily ever after.”
The singer explained that her view of marriage is different from the usual idea that a woman must live in her husband’s house.
“Saying I am in my husband’s house is different from saying I married my husband. My husband and I married each other; we are in one another’s life,” she said.
She added that describing marriage only from the man’s side gives men a sense of ownership. She also spoke about feminism, saying it is not about fighting men, but about giving women the same freedom that men enjoy.
She said, “Feminism is not saying men are not good people. What feminism is, before anger came into it because of how women were treated, was that the choice that men have to do whatever they wish should also be given to women.”
Allyson said marriage has been a difficult journey for her and that she has not enjoyed the kind of joy others often talk about.
“I must confess that I am married, but my husband and I decided to live apart; he in his house and I in mine,” she said. “Marriage has been a big challenge. I hear people talk about joy in marriage, but I have never experienced it.”
She also repeated that she is not a gospel singer. “I am not a gospel singer. My name is Sola Allyson,” she said. “Jesus does not need promotion, so I do not have to call His name in every song.”
