Veteran gospel musicians, Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi and Olusegun Akinola, have said that to improve the quality of music in Nigeria, lyrics have to be worked on.
The two artistes, who made this statement during the launch of Akinola’s latest album titled ‘It shall be well with Nigeria’, pointed out that for music, especially the gospel genre to enrich the lives of listeners, the message or lyrics must be well crafted.
According to them, the emergence of morally bankrupt songs now prevalent in the society is a direct consequence of poor lyrics by many performing artistes in Nigeria.
Obey-Fabiyi, who used to be a highlife music maestro before switching to gospel, said, “There is indeed an urgent need for our artistes to improve the lyrics of their songs so that good messages that lift the soul can be passed through such.
“Though the young generations of musicians are finding different ways to meet their target audience, there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of the quality of lyrics.
“They can learn a lot from Akinola’s new music album that propagates hope and a better tomorrow for this great country called Nigeria.
“I am optimistic that things will improve in this regard in the near future.”
Adding his voice to the call, Akinola, who is a pastor with the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministry, said that his latest gospel work was inspired by the need to preach peace and spread hope in the country in the face of the state of hardship and despair.
He pointed out that with improved lyrics and theme, the younger generations of musicians would be able to raise the consciousness of the people towards good causes.
He said, “Music is like food to the soul and that is why there must have good elements for it to enrich every part of the soul.
“As a result of this fact, musicians, especially those in the gospel sector, must pay a lot of attention to the quality of the message they deliver.
“The purpose of my new album is to give hope to all Nigerians through music. To tell them that no matter what they are passing through as a country, we are going to come out strongly at the end.” – Punch.
