Focus on your calling, not awards – Bernice Offei advises gospel artistes

According to her, gospel musicians must focus on their calling, which is to spread God’s word.

Speaking on ‘This Is Gospel’ on Hitz FM, the celebrated singer said winning awards should not be the ultimate.

“I think that we are not called so much to come and receive awards but to do what God has called us to do. And when you do it, at the right time God will give the reward. If you are looking for the reward, I tell you, it may never come,” Bernice Offei said.

Her comments were in relation to agitations within the gospel music industry as a result of what has been termed as a sideline of the industry.

Some persons in the industry have often accused organisers of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) of constantly snubbing gospel artistes.

According to them, it is worrying that no veteran gospel musician has ever won the ‘Life Time Achievement’ award at the VGMA.

Bernice Offei said, although the constant snub can be painful, gospel musicians must know that they are not into music for awards.

“I appreciate the fact that as human as we are, sometimes those things seem you have been cheated on something, it can be painful...That is not what is going to take you to heaven anyway. You can get the awards here and go to hell,” she added.

The singer is a two-time winner at the VGMA, having won the ‘Song Writer of the Year’ and ‘Best Female Vocal Performance’ awards in 2009.