Simi says she dumped gospel music because churches used to pay her N5k

Nigerian singer, Simi, recently opened up about her past as a gospel artiste and the challenges she faced in the industry.

During her appearance on MTV Base Africa’s Official Naija Top 10 programme, she revealed that she used to be a gospel artiste but eventually decided to switch genres due to low-performance pay.

Simi shared that when she performed at churches, she would often receive meager payments ranging from N5,000 to N10,000, with the highest she ever received being N70,000. The financial struggles she faced in the gospel music scene led her to stop singing at one point, as she couldn’t afford the costs associated with studio sessions and song promotions.

In her candid revelation, Simi also mentioned that due to financial constraints, she made a decision to sign a record label deal that she later regretted. The challenges she faced as a gospel artiste eventually led her to explore other genres of music, ultimately leading to her successful career in the Nigerian music industry.

Simi said; “I actually used to go to a lot of churches to perform. They will pay me like N5k, N10k. Do you know the highest amount of money I actually collected when I was doing gospel [music]? N70,000. And I felt like I had arrived. I still paid a 10 per cent tithe from the money.”