Obaapa Christy has noted that as a Gospel singer, she has unperturbedly collaborated with three secular artistes “Kwabena Kwabena, Kuami Eugene, and now King Sark[odie]”.

She defended her choice to work with these entertainers, saying, “God has blessed these individuals I have mentioned”.

The Gospel star spoke to Nana Romeo on Okay FM.

“Everybody has a purpose for which God sent them to this world. They may not do Gospel music but they may sing songs that carry wisdom and not impropriety. They are God’s children, too,” she raised her voice for emphasis. “It is God who created them.”

She said Sarkodie “knows God” and that he also understood they would not work on any other kind of music but Gospel.

Obaapa Christy asserted she had not backslidden as some may hold, in view of the aforementioned collaborations.

“I’m still standing,” she added, noting her collaborations with non-Gospel singers were a “privilege and an opportunity from God” to her.

The singer argued it was important to reach the teeming youth of the nation by any means necessary, understanding that “the same people who go to church, go to the entertainment events to dance to these same artistes – there’s only one [shared] audience”.

Message Over Messenger

Obaapa Christy suggested the point of a song was superior to the song’s creator.

To explained, she recalled going to the salon of “a mother of mine” who was a church. She said at the time, Daddy Lumba or Amakye Dede – she could not recall correctly – had a new popular song.

“I was in my mother’s salon, and the song was playing. I loved the song, and since I knew how to sing it, I sang along. My mother reacted by nudging me to remind me that I am a Christian and should not be seen enjoying such music. I stopped. Later, however, when I opened my eyes, I noticed she was tapping her feet to the music,” Obaapa Christy humourly narrated said, adding she teased her mother over the irony of helplessly coming under the song’s appeal.

Underlining her point, she said what mattered in a song was “the lyrics and message”.

Sarkodie’s Eagerness

Obaapa Christy said while she worked on her Odeneho (The Sovereign One) in the studio, she noticed “having Sarkodie’s voice on this song will make me really happy.

“So, I asked the producer to leave gaps in the song, with the intention of approaching Sarkodie by faith. I called him on WhatsApp while I was in Germany.”  

She said the moment the rap heavyweight received the song, he assured her that, “Sis, it won’t take long. You’ll hear from me in no time”.

“In truth, it didn’t take long. He did the song in his studio and returned [the file] to me,” Obaapa Christy testified.

She said Sarkodie told her “this is the time” and that he had written and performed his verse for the song as something he had “long waited” to do for her.

“My heart was calm and gladdened as though they had poured ice on it,” she said with glee, noting her appreciation for Sarkodie’s “favour”.

For Christians who may look at the collaboration as controversial, she noted while some people may be seen as villains in society, they may be dear to God’s heart “like David who was seen as a flawed sinner but God said he was a man after his own heart”.

“God loves people uniquely. If you don’t take care, you’ll misjudge people by what you see outwardly,” she cautioned.  

According to the serial hitmaker, she saw Sarkodie’s genuine passion for the song’s success when he asked for them to record a video and put it out before the release of an official music video.