Nigerian singer-songwriter Seyi Shay has ignited a fresh conversation about the kind of songs sung in church worship. In a recent Instagram story, she revealed why she stopped attending her former church—not because of sermons or drama, but due to the music.
Seyi Shay shared that a church leader once banned modern gospel songs, insisting only hymns and scriptural songs be sung. This decision was a major turning point for her. She questioned how worshippers could feel genuinely “blessed and happy” singing hymns that were reportedly written by slave owners and forced on enslaved Africans amid brutal oppression.
“Makes no sense,” she wrote, urging followers to “Do your research! Ignorance is NOT Godly!”
While she clarified that not all hymns share this troubling history, Seyi Shay encouraged believers to create fresh worship songs rooted deeply in scripture rather than relying on traditional hymns with colonial ties.
Her bold stance has sparked intense debates on social media, encouraging a rethink of worship music and its cultural implications.
