Priscilla’s Roundtable Anniversary Special: @4Lah | @IsabellaMelodie | @NeneSoulDiva | @TashaLockhart | @FLOROCKA | @NikkiLaoye | @PriscillazPlace | #PriscillazPlace | #PraiseworldRadioAt3

This Anniversary edition is simply dope! I totally enjoyed the sound points given by my cool guests carefully picked-dishing out profound facts with their humorous sides!!! But first, hold that thought and join me SCREAM “Hooraaaayyyy PraiseworldRadio!!!!” Yes Yes Yes! We are proudly and humbly 3 years!

Whoop! Whoop! I am super excited because we were here last year thanking God and Celebrating together and I am grateful that we are all here again to see another year-together. I am not going to waste your time with my excitement and long talks-

I am so blessed to have these Gorgeous, super talented, highly intelligent wise with experience and knowledge-Yes! You can only get this kind of setting @ “Priscilla’s Place” (no shade) Shhsssssh!! Listen, I threw a Solid Man “in da mix… hehe* for the feedbacks of always featuring the women alone, here you go!! See, I listen to my audience and readers because you are important!! Tasha, (USA) NIkki (Nigeria) and Isabella (UK) are not new here and I am grateful for your continuous support despite your busy schedules. God bless you tremendously (Group Hug!)

4Lah (Nigeria) and Nene (Nigeria/UK) are here for the first time- {blowing kisses}… Thanks, thanks and thanks. I appreciate you both and for the only Man at the table- FLOROCKA (Nigeria) This man surprised me!! You are my kind of guest anyday!! Thank you (Giant Hug) God bless my guests and their music/media careers. For their profiles and bios, please check their social media contact/website attached.. They treated random questions on issues pertaining to Gospel singers and I totally enjoyed all their feedbacks.

I trust that someone learns something. Okay, make sure you read with a Chilled Bottle of Wine as we are gonna be toasting to Praiseworld Radio later and probably some peanuts!!

MEET MY GUESTS:

PRISCILLA: Thanks for accepting my invite and celebrating with Praiseworld Radio. On this special day, what do you want to say to Praiseworld Radio as we celebrate 3 years today?

4Lah: I should be the one saying Thank you to Praiseworld radio. In the digital media space, you have given the gospel a platform to be heard and every Christian artiste thanks you for it. Personally I have been blessed by Praiseworld Radio and I appreciate all that you do. May God bless and keep you and enlarge your coast in Jesus name.

Isabella: “Huge congratulations! I am very proud to call The Praise World Radio team my family. I know how challenging it can be to run an Internet station, so this is a huge achievement. I love the spirit of excellence at work in PWR so I highly commend the CEO-Tola, and the entire team. PWR rocks!”

Tasha: “Happy Anniversary Praiseworld Radio … Congratulations”

Nene: I want to congratulate the Praiseworld Radio Family, especially Mr Tola. I pray for greater reasons to celebrate, bigger ideas shall be birthed from his spirit and that the Praiseworld family experiences grace for world domination. In Jesus Name.

FLO: I must commend the fact that Praiseworld Radio has been doing a great job of bringing wholesome music to the scene. Many have started before them but Praiseworld Radio has not only been consistent but has also been ‘impactful’ I congratulate Praiseworld Radio for a job well done!

NIKKI: Praiseworld Radio has indeed been a blessing to me and many people across the world over the past 3 years. And I want to encourage everyone who has been a part of the team (including myself of course. Lol) to keep the fire burning. It’s a new season for us and God will equip us with more resources and wisdom to take Praiseworld radio to greater heights.

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PRISCILLA: In regards to “MAINSTREAM” Music: what are your views as to how gospel artistes can really impact and do mainstream for the “right” reasons”

4Lah: The ‘rightness or wrongness’ of the reasons why a Christian artiste wants to go mainstream depends on him and his convictions. However, I believe that not every Christian artiste is called to go mainstream. Some are going to do worship music for the church community and some are going to do music that the world at large, and the un-churched can relate with.

I believe we spend too much time trying to create a difference. From my standpoint, if an artiste is a Christian, that is the unifying factor. However they fulfil their purpose is between them and God. Music is music. Of course, the basic principles of the word of God in terms of content guides them but everyone is free to express their creativity as they see fit

Isabella: To be honest, I really do not have any strong views because we are all different and we are graced differently. I see nothing wrong with gospel artists singing clean, positive, inspirational songs. Just because you haven’t mentioned the name Jesus in a song does not mean it is the devil’s music and just because you name Jesus in your song is not what makes it spiritual! Whatever we do has to come from a place of intimacy with the Holy Spirit and revelation from God. We are sometimes too judgmental when someone is doing something different from us. Whatever we do, motive is key. Whatever we do, ask the question “Does it glorify God?” We are called to be world changers so whatever strategies God gives each one of us, let’s glorify Him. One of my pet peeves is a ‘Holier-than-thou’ attitude which reek of religion.

Tasha: “Coming from the platform of BET Sunday Best which is a reality show- the key to doing mainstream the right way is to always represent Jesus Christ. Our lifestyle must reflect what we sing about.”

Nene: It is first dependent on the kind of Christian Music Artist that you are:

• Are you a temple singer?  Now temple singers are those that God has given grace for only temple music (i.e. ministry church}
• Or have you been sent to cut across for God’s kingdom?  These are the ones who have the grace to advance and thrive outside the temple. (i.e. industry) You need to know which grace you carry so that you don’t get stuck!
• Your Mission and motive must align with what God requires.
• For you to do mainstream God’s way, you have to first know that you are different; You have to stand out in character; Your motive must not be for a selfish cause; You must have the spirit of excellence and creativity; You must be brand worthy and sociable. Music is first and foremost an ‘art’ and a majority of people know it to be so even if they might not be able to properly elucidate on the nitty gritty thereof.

 

FLO: I have the opinion that God inspires songwriters and singers for various reasons, at different points in every chair for a specific purpose. When an artist decides to brand himself as gospel act, the first challenge he/she is bound to face most times ‘in Nigeria’ is marginalisation.

Music is first and foremost an ‘art’ and a majority of people know it to be so even if they might not be able to properly elucidate on the nitty gritty thereof. My question really is; for what reason did the artist decide to ‘label’ or ‘tag’ him/herself ‘Gospel’? For truly, some gospel artists who seek the ‘MAINSTREAM’ platform want traction and inevitably ‘influence’. The question to be asked is ‘what is the motive behind the decision?’ It is my belief that music that is positively ‘impactful’ will receive traction. It’s all a matter of time.

Nikki: Each artiste needs to fully understand why they are in the music business and what they want to achieve with their music. The whole essence for making music is to communicate – send out information to a certain group of people, address an issue or tell a story.

Mainstream music is a necessary part of life that every human being regardless of tribe and religion can relate to as it concerns regular non-religious information and general world music styles. What differentiates from one artiste to another in this regard is “the message in the song”. There are different kinds of expressions for all musicians – either spiritual messages about your faith and God or secular messages (non-religious messages) about Life, Love, patriotism, your country, dealing with issues (such as Abuse etc.).

At the end of the day, whatever song any gospel artiste decides to do is at his/her discretion, based on what kind of message he/she wants to pass across and what he/she wants to be known for. ===================================================

Priscilla: This brings me to the popular phrase “In A Box” Why do some gospel artistes think or perceive they are being restricted or put “in a box,” do you think it’s a false mentality?

4Lah: I understand why they feel that way. The truth is that church folks over time, have become very restrictive. We create traditions and rules and tax each other with expectations that limit us. We have insulated and isolated ourselves in the media and entertainment industry because we have a “Them” and “Us” mentality. A lot of times, church people expect artistes to sound a certain way, look a certain way and promote their work in a certain way if they are “Christian” But art is freedom. It’s not false mentality but I won’t encourage any Christian artiste to dwell on it either. Personally, I say that I choose not to see a box. And I will tell them the same thing. Do not acknowledge the box. Let your creativity loose.

Isabella: It’s not a false mentality but to be honest, I think we put ourselves in a box more than anyone can ever put us in a box. If someone puts you in a box, what are you waiting for? Break out of it! I hear this phrase a lot “stay in your lane” which is true to an extent but who says you can’t be multi-talented and operate effectively and successfully in all your gifting’s? Remember the parable of the talents. One was given one, another was given two and the other five. It is either up or down to the one given the gift to work the gift. Often times we subconsciously conform ourselves to people’s expectations because we don’t want to disappoint them or we don’t want to ‘weaken’ our brand. Do what God has called you to do. My key question is “Has God spoken?” Everything else is noise.

Tasha: “I believe God gives us all something unique when it comes to minister in song.  As for being put in a box I think that has changed over the years.  Gospel Music is more diverse now than it’s ever been.  What’s important as we continue to reach the masses is that we continue to sing about the God who heals and delivers and not water down the message of the Good News!

Nene:  It’s not a false mentality… It’s all about perception. How are we perceived by the outside world? In Nigeria we aren’t really perceived as thriving or successful. We are most times relegated to Sunday worship and church only. But it’s gradually changing.

FLO: Wholesome music doesn’t necessarily have to be placed in a box. The thought processes of some people is that you MUST belong to one fraction and ‘stay committed’ to that fraction and this misnomer has led to a state of disarray with regards to how gospel artists perceive and respond to inspiration from God regarding their music. Songs are categorised by genres and as such if God inspires you with an R&B song, sing it and don’t try to force it into a box. Be truthful to the spirit behind the song and great results are inevitable. You’ll be amazed at what several gospel artists define as ‘right reasons’. I repeat, the motive is the determinant factor to be considered.

NIKKI: The problem lies with the ideology of what gospel music is about or the kind of genre or music style artistes fall into.
And the Christian community believe a gospel artiste should only do certain types of songs – praise and worship to God only -while the artiste wants to pass on other forms of clean,inspirational messages with his music and this tug of war brings about the “In a Box” problem.
But the truth is the artiste, from the get-go should know what his style/genre and message is and stick to his guns about it.
People will be able to identify your style and sound soon enough. Some will accept it, some won’t but hey,there is a fan base for everyone.
We all have our different purpose regarding what God has given us to do with our gifts and talents.
You can be an Urban Inspirational Artiste or Urban Contemporary Christian Artiste which simply refers that your music will contain faith based songs and mainstream expressions.

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Priscilla: One Tip for an emerging gospel artiste?

4Lah: Identify your purpose. Know who you have been called to reach. Horne your craft and refuse to be restricted.

Isabella: One very important thing to always remember is that you need to make people aware of what you do. One phrase I use is “sell yourself but don’t oversell yourself” I wish someone told me this when I started. It’s good to make ‘noise’ and really, you do get noticed when you make noise but when what you have to offer does not match up to the hype, people lose respect for your brand. Find your strong points and highlight those, you will carve a niche for yourself. People will relate and respect you for it rather than when your online resume and person look nothing like your

Tasha: “My tip for any emerging artist is to make sure you continue to serve in your local ministry- this is so important.  Also take the time to learn the business.

Nene: My tip to the upcoming Christian Music Artist is: “They that know their God will be strong and do exploits.” Work hard and Know God.

FLO: Perfect your ‘art’. Don’t be all consumed by the ‘spirit’ and forget the artistry of music in itself.

NIKKI: Have a full understanding of what your music, your message and your style is about and run with it.  

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PRISCILLA: Do you think Artistes should turn down invitations because the host could not provide sufficient fee?

4Lah: It depends. If you can afford to do it, do it for the Glory of God but if you sense that you are being taken advantage of, turn it down.

Isabella: It’s very easy to apply my personal situation to everyone but I have learnt not to. For me, it has never been about money or affordability but it has a lot to do with the leading of the Holy Spirit and the approach of the people who invite me. Some churches/organisations are not financially strong but have a great culture of honouring people and some others are wealthy but really skilled at dishonouring people. Most churches are honourable and will be upfront about the provision they have made or are willing to make, others will make promises that they never intended to keep. There’s really no hard and fast rules about it. Deal with each case as you are led by the Holy Spirit but don’t condone people trivialising or abusing the grace of God upon your life (and this is not about money at all) that’s part of good stewardship!

Tasha: “As it applies to turning down invitations based on the required fee; this should be determined by that artist and their management.  I do think it’s important to understand that although this is ministry, it is also a business and most artist take care of their families through that.  Leaving them days at a time and traveling is alot.  So I don’t think it’s asking too much for the business end to be right and handled professionally.

Nene: It depends on what you represent. Permit me to use myself as an example. I don’t charge churches because that is my covenant with God, so in return, God brings brand contracts, music licensing deals, Jingles, movie score deals my way and that is where I charge an arm and a leg because I know the wealth of the Gentiles are stored up for me! And this also helps my gift expand to the market place, were my value is recognised and paid for. How many churches will pay N20million for you to come minister? But a brand will pay.

FLO: In my opinion, it’s quite a personal decision. There is no definitive yardstick to be used to measure the reason(s) why an artist should or should not turn down an invitation. Some artists who seek a platform of expression ‘desperately’ might accept an invitation for no fee at all whilst another will refuse to honour an invite without a sufficient fee. The talent and gift of singing belongs to the individual and such an individual has the right to do what he/she deems fit with it.

NIKKI: These depends on the structure or system the Artiste is working from and it’s at the discretion of the Artiste (if unsigned) or the Artiste’s label based on the agreement made with the host. To avoid such issues, it’s better to have a terms of agreement duly signed between the host and Artiste/Label which states how their working relationship/performance fee for an event will be carried out.

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Priscilla: Is it advisable for artistes to marry each other? Why?

4Lah: Marriage is not one size fits all. Because it works for one party does not mean it will work for others.

Isabella: It’s neither here nor there. The key question is, has God spoken?  There are challenges in every marriage artist or not. If you’re both itinerary ministers, you stand the risk of not spending enough time together and you may be exposed to unwanted attention but this is not unique to artists alone. Successful marriages are built when relationships are rooted in God and partners in the marriage covenant are fiercely committed and devoted to each other, and are willing to put in the hard work to make it work against all odds.

Tasha: “If its God ordained, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.  There is comfort in knowing you have someone who understands what you deal with.  My husband and I work very closely together in the studio and it works for us.  We are a team in matrimony and creativity

Nene: (Laughing out loud) Priscilla you are so funny!! Well it strictly depends on the individuals involved… So it’s not a Yes/No… For two Artists to marry and be successful, their marriage and careers will take a lot of work spiritually, financially and otherwise but it’s not impossible.

FLO: Humnn! I consider this a dicey one. Having said that, I believe once both parties ‘consciously’ agree to walk the path of a similar profession, the rest should be history. The only peculiarity with Music is basically ‘FAME’ and ‘INFLUENCE’ once both parties are truthful and vulnerable with each other, there is no mountain insurmountable.

NIKKI: Love and Marriage between artistes work for some and doesn’t work for others.
At the end of the day, this relationship depends on preference and ability to manage a lifestyle that could leave the two travelling across the country/world at different times; dealing with the intrusion of media in your personal family business; having to juggle marriage, children and musical career at once etc.

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Priscilla: On a funny note, please tell us a stage/ media anomaly you have experienced and how you kind of wiggled through it (anomalies could be from lyrics forgotten, embarrassment OR a memorable stage moment you would love to share

4Lah: Wow! My early days on radio in Diamond FM Ibadan. I mixed up my tenses live on air and a media veteran I was hoping to work with was listening. He called me after the show to tell me about my “bad English” If I was white, I would have gone red from embarrassment.

Isabella: Hahaha!  Four of my front teeth are crowned. I had an issue with one of them a couple of years back and I was trying to manage it as long as possible as am not fond of my dentist. Well, I was ministering at a large event and one of my front tooth came off on stage!!!! Honestly you don’t realise just how crucial your front teeth are until you experience this. I tried to carry on but alas! All I felt was a gush of air and whistling sound! I had to use my hand and cover my mouth and started humming whilst signalling to my backups to take over. The host found it hilarious.

Tasha: “I have moments like that all the time that it’s hard to highlight one in particular.”

Nene: For me stage anomalies as a musician is something that is expected… It’s can’t always be perfect. I had a major one some years ago at a big event,the sound suddenly tripped off for about 20mins and I had to improvise by engaging the crowd with my voice and clapping of hands till the sound came back on..it was an exciting experience.Wow! I’ve also had amazing moments in my music..Sharing the stage with Hugh Masekela, Chevelle Franklin, Jimmy Dlulu, Asa, Kim Burrell and other Artistes.. It’s been Awesome!!

FLO: Lol! One readily comes to mind! On one occasion I was invited to sing at a concert and the host asked that I sing a song from one of my albums which I hadn’t prepared for, right there on the stage! Being true to my art, I quickly explained to the crowd at the concert that I hadn’t rehearsed that particular song in months! I then asked the crowd to give me 10 minutes to refresh my memory. I turned to my team and we came up with a plan to perform the song! That was one moment I would never ever forget! Phew!

NIKKI: That moment will be some years ago when I totally forgot the lyrics to a popular song as I led the choir on a Sunday morning at Church. I was given the song to learn just the day before, so this was certainly bound to happen. It was a funny and a panicky moment for me because it wasn’t a song you could create your own lyrics for (an old trick by singers when words are forgotten on stage) It was a song known by everyone and there I was with absolutely no line of the song in my head and all I could do was cue the choir in for the general chorale response. I fled the stage once it was over and felt totally humiliated. Gosh! Lol. Never again!!

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PRISCILLA: Dear readers, I hope you had a good laugh with their stage anomalies and I trust you got one or two things from the discussion. Okay, let’s see what my hilarious guests did to the bonus question I gave them. They played me big time on this one! And I’ll have my pound of flesh soon… (Laughing)

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Priscilla: Lastly, kindly do a one minute Song for Praiseworld Radio (Though this was optional)

4Lah: N/A

Isabella: “I just did, unfortunately you can’t hear me! HAHAHAHA!!! Got ya!”

Tasha: N/A

Nene: I will send the short music soonest!

FLO: N/A

NIKKI: “Will send the one minute song later.

{Laughing) they got me good. NICE! Anyways!!! Please feel free to visit previous editions and catch-up”

Read Tasha’s Exclusive Interview after winning BET Sunday Best.

Read Isabella’s Chat with me featuring Evans Ogboi titled Saying NO!!!

Read Nikki’s Album Review.

Thanks everyone. Hey, remember that wine we talked about, grab a Glass, pour the Wine and join us wherever you are for 3 Hearty Cheers to Praiseworld Radio…..”Cheers! Cheers! Cheers!”

Toasting to Longevity!

Toasting to Rapid Expansion!!

Toasting to Continuous Success and Positive influence/Impact to this generation and the next!!!

God bless CEO/Ist Lady: Olutola & Mabel Omoniyi

God bless the PraiseworldRadio Team/Crew

God bless Praiseworld Radio AND God bless YOU!!!

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Listen and download my new single- “More Than A Song”