Nigerian singer, Seyi Shay, has revealed that she stopped attending her former church due to its strict limitations on worship music, which favoured traditional hymns and songs directly lifted from scripture while rejecting contemporary gospel music.
In a candid post shared via her Instagram account, the artist expressed her disapproval of the church leaders’ views, citing them as a key reason for her exit.
She wrote: “One leader like dat at my former church said something like ‘we need to stop singing all these new age gospel songs in praise and worship and go back to singing hymns and only songs that are direct scripture…’ guess what, I stopped going to that church. PERIODT. Because I don’t know how or why you would feel blessed and happy by singing some of the songs that slave owners wrote and forced them to sing and pass down through generations while beating and torturing your ancestors… makes no sense. Do your research! Ignorance is NOT Godly !!!”
The singer further challenged the historical roots of many traditional hymns, asserting that several were penned by slave owners and used to oppress enslaved people during acts of brutality. Her comments sparked discussions online about the origins of church music and its impact on modern worship practices.
Clarifying her position, Seyi Shay added: “Not all hymns were written by slave owners ooo! But a lot of them were. In some cases, you’re better off making your own praise and worship songs/hymns (based on scripture if you prefer).”
She encouraged worshippers to consider creating original praise songs, especially those grounded in scripture, as a more authentic and liberating form of spiritual expression.
