Nigerian singer and songwriter Johnny Drille has reflected about his relationship with the church and how his musical journey evolved beyond the traditional Christian setting.
In a recent interview on the CreativiTEA podcast, the How Are You (My Friend) crooner revealed that while his faith and love for God remain firm, he never felt his music truly fit within the confines of the church.
“For me, I love God. I am very much involved in church. But I never really felt my music was in church. Every now and then, I get invited to churches to sing, which is kind of interesting,” he said.
The Mavin Records artist also addressed the occasional criticism he receives from the Christian community for performing in church settings, emphasizing that his music, though not strictly gospel, carries wholesome and uplifting messages.
“I’ve gotten a bit of backlash from my Christian community every now and then when they invite me to churches. But at the end of the day, the music is positive. It speaks to good things that sometimes the church doesn’t want to talk about,” he explained.
Johnny Drille, known for his soulful storytelling and romantic themes, argued that the church often avoids discussions about love — a subject he believes deserves more space in faith-based music.
“The church shies away from talking about love. A lot of times you go for some Christian weddings and you hear Davido and Wizkid. What if the church decides that we want to start doing our own Christian love songs?” he added.
Reflecting on his early years in church music, Drille disclosed that his time as a music director helped shape his artistry, even if his personal style didn’t quite align with typical worship genres.
“There is a place for worship music, but there is also music about so much that the church could be singing about. For me, I didn’t feel my music had a place in the church at the time. I was a music director, I was directing the choir, not singing in front of the church, but I think it did help me become the musician that I am today.”
The post ‘I never felt my music belonged in church’ – Johnny Drille appeared first on Vanguard News.
