PANAM PERCY PAUL REJECTED £24M DEAL FOR HIS FAITH
Renowned gospel singer and songwriter, Dr. Panam Percy Paul, has revealed that he turned down a £24 million record deal in 1995 because it required him to limit the mention of “Jesus” in his songs.
Speaking in an interview with Pastor Emmanuel Iren, the gospel legend disclosed that the three-year contract—valued at approximately N7 billion at the time—came with conditions that would have compromised his faith.
According to him, the record label suggested he replace “Jesus” with alternative names like “Righteous One” or “Greatest Lover” to make his music more commercially appealing.
“The catch was, ‘Can you reduce the number of times you call the name Jesus in your songs?’ One of them even told me, ‘You actually don’t need to mention the name Jesus. You can call Him other names,’” Panam Percy Paul recalled.
Shocked by the demand, he made a firm decision: “I told them, ‘You can keep the money while I keep the name.’”
He also expressed concern over the increasing commercialization of gospel music, lamenting that record labels and marketers now dictate how gospel artists create their songs.
“Today, the extreme is that the music ministry has now become a music industry,” he stated. “The industry now dictates to ministers what to do, how to sing, and when to sing.”
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