August 26th, 2011 
AT2W Staff 
Photo courtesy of buzz.eemagazine.com
Gospel Artist Shei Atkins Turns to R&B Because Church Judges Her Style
New reports state gospel and christian artist Shei Atkins has announced she is leaving gospel music and turning to R&B which will allow her to express what she wants.
In an interview with Christian Post, she stated this about how people were reacting to her music style, appearance and lyrics.
“The messed up thing about the Christian community is that there is a religious and judgmental mentality inside of it that holds us back and keeps us from loving people when it comes to music. I can’t sing about life, love, and relationships under the Gospel title. It’s not because I don’t want to. It’s because of the mentality a lot of Christians have about music.”
“The thing is that when some people heard R&B on my albums they were like, this is not Gospel and the judgment began,” she wrote. “I had fans who loved me on one side and people condemning me on the other side calling me worldly, pulling me to the side at some of my shows about my hair color, sending in mean letters, etc.”
She stated it has almost ended her marriage:
“I make songs to help instill love, honesty, faithfulness and communication back into relationships,” she stated.
“I deal with life, love and relationships. I can’t speak for anyone else, but that’s my call,” she said. “People need what God has put inside of me. Do you know that about 50% of CHRISTIAN marriages end in divorce? But I was judged for singing songs that spoke life into people. That hurt me so bad.”
Shei Atkins is finding hope and excitement in leaving the gospel music arena.
“Shei Atkins is best marketed as an R&B artist,” she said of her decision. “Why? Because doing R&B allows me to make the music God put in me to make and be free without boundaries of what I can and what I can’t talk about.”
“…If you can’t see and understand my vision, just pray for me. Don’t judge me. My music may not be for you, but know that I am reaching people and that I’m on God’s side.
“You can’t be so busy judging people that you don’t have time to love them. Even if you don’t agree with what a person does, loving them will win them over way before condemning them will. We have to show people Christ by our love.”
AT2W’s Take: We try to speak out about gospel artists holding a higher standard when it comes to singing gospel music. The issue that has risen is the church and gospel industry leaders have started to accept hip hop and R&B into the gospel music genre. Shei Atkins was making music according to how ‘the times’ have changed in the industry (hate calling it an industry) and wanted to express it the way she sees many others doing it as well (e.g. Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond, Mary Mary and more). Her music is on the style of the new age rhythms and not much of a traditional gospel sound from the many songs we heard from her. We can say that her lyrics in some songs are very open to real issues like sexual abuse and relationships.
So when she received backlash about her music sounding too worldly, this probably confused her. In fact, its confusing us too. So many church folk have allowed and praised the secular sound into gospel music for years now to appeal to the world and young people. Their reasoning for this was to ‘reach the masses’ in the world and that the young people will not come to Jesus unless you make it ‘fun’. (Wow! It was never for fun when we grew up. All we knew was church was serious and strict but redeeming. There were no choices in how we served the Lord- it was right or not at all).
Though we agree that the church is judgmental when it wants to be and not so much other times, there is something called being holy. Holy means being sanctified or set apart. God requires us to be different from the world. This is the issue that many gospel artists fight against today. We can’t imitate the world and expect to truly please God or show a difference. Though the church can be hypocritical, have we truly heard God’s voice on this? The way to please God is to read His word and it will tell us to be holy, righteous and unlike the world. That is the key.
We pray Shei Atkins can find a way to minister to people in a way the pleases Him. It’s possible that she can do so in ministry but different from what she sees now. Many of her songs speak of relationships, love and even pain from childhood sexual abuse. Helping people with our gifts can go so much further than just singing for the Lord. She can turn this around and do so much more.
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Blessings!
I read this article a few days ago and while I don’t know her music, I detected some sincerity in her issues with the church. In the comments section of the article, one commenter stated that he stopped listening to CCM and instead listens to holy hip hop, because the CCM artist have done as the contemporary Gospel artists have, which is make shallow, watered-down gospel music that copycats the world.
I left a reply a few weeks ago regarding the controversy over hip hop leading gospel musicians into “wicked(ness) and lazy(ness)”. I tried to argue that while there may be a couple of exceptions, the movement called “holy hip hop” that I’ve been exposed to has yielded some outstanding, Christ-exalting, God-glorifying rap music.
May be hard for some to believe, but it is true. I tried to make a point that though this music sounds “worldly” to some (be nice if the church once and for all understood what Scripture calls true worldliness), it has been God-glorifying despite the way it sounds. And if you check out the works of the “holy hip hop” scene (notice, I am speaking of a distinct, specific group of artists; I am NOT talking about all so-called “Christian rappers” as a whole) you will find that holiness is a huge, prominent issue in this genre. Holiness is definitely placed in the forefront in a manner that I personally find lacking in contemporary Gospel.
All I am saying is this: there is some Scripturally, doctrinally sound hip hop out there that promotes holiness even though its played against a banging beat. Like the commenter I mentioned above stated, these holy hip hoppers allow the music to take the background, while the Christ glorifying lyrics take the foreground.
God bless you, AT2W!
Greetings To U – AT2W,
I have been called and prepared by God to establish Christian radio and television in an area of this country. Let me say that christian music is ministry just as well as the pulpit ministry is!!! One must be prepared and sent by God into this area of ministry which is NOT established according to how one feels, but by the marching orders sent by Heaven to the one called!!! Unfortunately, 95% of the artists out there are being driven by wealth alone. And when money becomes the reason why they worship, then they will do any and every thing they do to stay where they are!
The roots of my love, dedication, reverence and respect for my God in Heaven runs real deep and I have been trained by Him to know that holiness and righteousness is right!! I also have been given a spirit of discernment that leads and guides me in the area of music. I will continue to use what God has given me to the uplifting of The Kingdom of Heaven and to do what has been told by The Master!!! God is NOT obligated to sign up for anything that He has NOT ordered!!!!!!!!!!