Singer Johnny Drille has opened up about his complicated relationship with the church, saying he never felt his music belonged there despite growing up in a Christian home.
Speaking in an interview, the Mavin Records artiste said, “I didn’t feel like my music was predominantly in church. Every now and then, I get invited to churches to sing, which is kind of interesting.”
The 35-year-old, who once served as a church music director, admitted he sometimes faced criticism from Christians. “I’ve gotten a bit of backlash from my Christian community every now and then when they invite me to churches. But at the end of the day, the music is positive. It speaks to good things that sometimes the church doesn’t want to talk about,” he said.
He added that many churches avoid songs about love, even though love songs by artistes like Davido and Wizkid are often played at Christian weddings.
“The church shies away from talking about love. A lot of times you go for some Christian weddings and you hear Davido and Wizkid. What if the church decides that we want to start doing our own Christian love songs?” he asked.
Johnny Drille, born John Ighodaro, gained recognition after competing in Project Fame West Africa in 2013 before signing with Mavin Records.
He released his debut album Before We Fall Asleep in 2021 and recently teamed up with Fireboy DML on Angelina.
The singer welcomed a daughter with his wife Rima Tahini in 2023.
