Songstress, Tope Calculator, has said gospel artistes must give primacy to clean and pure messages over other factors, as most Nigerians are now very religious but not godly.
She said this at the launch of her albums, Odironyedikagi, a five-track video CD, and Calculator, eight-track audio in Lagos, adding that the need for such messages is vital, given the current trying times Nigerians face.
According to the graduate of Biochemistry from the University of Benin and University of Lagos, “these are hard times for Nigerians.
So we need to look inward for peace, joy and strength.
You can only get these in God’s presence.
So if you are a gospel artiste, only clean and pure messages can do these.”
Tope Calculator, who started singing from age 13, said she is a worshipper, “so my songs are geared towards connecting listeners to God.
This is no longer about going to church or mosque.
It’s about your relationship with God.”
During the launch, she got the audience dancing to song after song from the albums, including Odironyedikagi, Joy, Mowa so dore, backed by fellow gospel artistes.
Asked how she balances her job with singing, the songbird, who is married to Mr Van-Lare, said: “I can’t do music alone for now.
Besides, I love my job, especially as it pertains to health.
So my music and job kind of complement each other—one is the physical, the other spiritual.”
One of them, Seyi Ajayi, who is also a broadcaster and has known Tope Calculator for 13 years, described her as relentless, diligent and focussed, adding “these albums can’t be anything but fantastic.”
