Gospel musician Josh Laryea has called on his fellow gospel artistes to move away from prosperity-themed songs and return to music that preaches faith, redemption, and hope.

According to Laryea, gospel music has become overly focused on material success, overshadowing its spiritual message.

In an interview with Graphic Showbiz, he expressed concern that this shift risks losing the true essence of the genre.

“We've lost sight of the true purpose of gospel music. It's time to shift focus,” he said.

Laryea admitted that he, too, had been influenced by this trend. He attributed part of the blame to pastors whose prosperity-themed sermons have led musicians to mirror these messages in their songs.

“I will partly blame pastors for the shift in focus of gospel music. It is said that ‘you are what you hear,’ and the outcome of what the church is doing is what is happening with gospel music now,” he said.

Reflecting on his own experience, Laryea acknowledged that he had once been drawn to this trend, only to realise later that his lyrics were straying from his spiritual mission.

“I’ve been a victim myself, and it took a while for me to realise I was going off course. I started to notice that the lyrics of my songs were changing. Looking back now, I have some regrets, but I accept that at the time, I probably didn’t want to be a lone wolf, so I followed the trend,” he said.

He warned against creating a culture where people believe God's primary concern is their financial status.

“Yes, we need to be relevant, but not at the expense of our spiritual mandate. It's time to refocus on the message since we are gradually creating a culture where people believe God's primary concern should be the state of their bank accounts,” he said.

ID/OGB

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