In the success stories of many secular Ghanaian artistes, a common thread often emerges: they began their musical journeys in the church before transitioning into the secular space.

Artistes such as Samini, Efya, Kwesi Arthur, Kuami Eugene, and KiDi, among others, have all noted that they started singing in church.

Adding to that list is veteran musician Rex Omar, who now serves as a Presidential staffer for the Black Star Experience.

He has disclosed that he began his career as a Gospel artiste, with his first three albums being Gospel albums.

One may ask why he later switched from Gospel to secular music.

Speaking on this during an interview with Joy Prime on February 4, 2026, Rex Omar explained that his decision stemmed from an experience he had with his church when he sought financial support for studio time.

Speak local languages to kids at home to preserve it - Rex Omar urges parents

“I started with Gospel. My first, second, and third album was Gospel. And what actually made me change, it’s a long story. I was a staunch churchgoer, Assemblies of God. I remember I went to my pastor that they should support me to go to the studio. And he said, oh, he will talk to the church board. So after talking to the church board, he came to tell me that the church said they can’t use the church money for the studio,” he recounted.

According to the veteran singer, that moment marked a turning point for him.

He said he decided to leave the church and seek support from what he described as “worldly people,” and that was when he made up his mind that if he received money from them, he would not use it to record church music.

“I was young then. So I said to myself, ‘So you pick the Bible, and you preach, and because of that, they pay you a salary, they pay your wife, pastor’s appreciation day, the church takes care of your children’s education. Me, I also use the same Bible. I write songs that I come and sing in the church.

“And then all you say is, ‘Awurade nhyira wo’, so then what will be my future? If the church cannot support my talent, then I’ll go out there to take the money from this so-called ‘Awiasefuo'. When I take money from ‘Awiasefuo,’ I won’t use it to record church music,” he noted.

Watch the interview below:

Rex Owusu Marfo reveals why he switched from gospel to secular music.#primetime with George Quaye and Merqury Quaye
Watch Full Video:https://t.co/puAnWq0N3i pic.twitter.com/gwmQ81nkrG

— Joy Prime (@JoyPrimeTV) February 5, 2026