Enough of the ‘prosperity’ songs - Josh Laryea to gospel musicians

In a stirring appeal, gospel musician Josh Laryea has urged his fellow gospel musicians to abandon their relentless pursuit of prosperity-themed songs and return to music that speaks to faith, redemption and hope.

The charismatic singer and preacher, known for hits that stirred the soul and commanded the stage, now believes that gospel music has become overly saturated with songs glorifying material success over spiritual messages—a shift, he says, that risks losing the true spirit and focus of the genre.

 “We've lost sight of the true purpose of gospel music. It's time to shift focus,” he told Graphic Showbiz in an interview on Tuesday, October 29.

Currently serving as the head pastor of Kharis Centre International at La in Accra, Josh Laryea acknowledged that he too was swayed by the trend and followed a similar path in music.

 But now, he places some of the blame on pastors, whose frequent prosperity-themed sermons influence musicians nurtured in the church to mirror these messages.

He told Graphic Showbiz that those songs were often popular, enticing others who were focused on providing hope and redemption with their music to lose focus.

“I will partly blame pastors for the shift in focus of gospel music. It is said that ‘you are what you hear’ and the outcome of what the church is doing is what is happening with gospel music now,” he said.

 Pastor Josh acknowledged that he was once drawn to this trend, realising too late that his lyrics were veering away from his mission to use music to fulfil a spiritual obligation.

 “I’ve been a victim myself and it took a while for me to realise I was going off course. I started to notice that the lyrics of my songs were changing. Looking back now, I have some regrets but I accept that at the time, I probably didn’t want to be a lone wolf so I followed the trend.”

“Yes, we need to be relevant, but not at the expense of our spiritual mandate. It's time to refocus on the message since we are gradually creating a culture where people believe God's primary concern should be the state of their bank accounts,” he said.

With a passion nurtured since childhood, Pastor Josh burst onto the music scene in 1992 with his debut song, ‘His Resurrection Power’. He grew into a household name with hit songs like ‘Ngboo’ and ‘Ajoomi’, ministering the gospel through music and warming his way to audiences with his energetic ‘Jama’ style.

However, he has been notably absent from the music scene for the past seven years, sparking rumours of retirement.

He, however, assured fans that his music days were far from over. “I’m not done with music; I still have a lot to give and I’m even ready to release a new song before the year ends”.

 “I have been absent because I was building my ministry and church and we all know that the beginning of everything needs lots of time. Music demands a lot and I didn’t want divided attention that’s why I took a back seat. But I am back,” he reassured them.