When David Kwasi Antwi of Antwi ne Antwi fame accepted God as his personal saviour and became a born- again Christian in 2008, little did he know that taking the path of righteousness was no child’s play.
He did away with secular music for gospel but on two occasions, Kwasi Antwi who together with his brother Michael Kofi Antwi churned out hit songs like Sekina and Congo Soldier, questioned his decision to live for Christ.
“Life has not been easy so on two occasions, I considered backsliding. I asked myself if I made a mistake by giving my life to God. There were times when things became so difficult I felt like going back to secular music to make some money,” Kwasi Antwi told Showbiz in an interview last week.
According to him, his woes were compounded when he virtually sold everything he owned to pay for his medical bills when he fell ill.
“I was seriously ill for almost two years. I sold my boutique, my car and everything I owned to survive. I was healed by a man of God. However, I was so broke that all I wanted to do was to go back to the world to make money from secular music,” he said.
Currently, Kwasi Antwi earns his keep by singing in churches with the support of a younger sister. Though the money that comes in is nothing to write home about, he is trusting God to see him through life.
Kwasi Antwi debunked the assertion that secular musicians switch to gospel when they fail to make hits since there is the perception that gospel music sells.
“Most peope think when you are a secular musician and decide to give your life to Jesus, it is because you have stopped making hits. I want to tell everyone that my calling is from the Lord,” Antwi stated. According to Kwasi Antwi who recently released a gospel single titled Ohia Dam, writing lyrics for gospel music is not easy.
“Writing secular songs is easier. In those days, I could sit and just come up with something but it is not so with gospel. You really need the direction of God before you can write or the song would not be patronised.
Kwasi Antwi, who is now an evangelist, advised secular musicians who want to do gospel just for the money, to desist from that.
“If the intention is solely to make money because gospel terrain is flooded with cash, then you are holding the wrong end of the stick. You need to be called by God before you make any move.
You would be doing yourself more harm than good if your aim is only to make money through gospel music,” he pointed out.