14-year-old gospel artiste, Daniel Monday Akpanprofessionally known by his stage name, Great Daniel has revealed how he was slapped four times for speaking in tongues on stage by an executive of his former record label, EeZee Concept.
The famed record label houses famed gospel acts like GUC, Judikay, Chidinma and formerly Mercy Chinwo until her undisclosed departure in 2022.
On Sunday, 9th May 2023, Great Daniel had recently announced his departure from the record label on his Facebook page; choosing not disclosing the reason.
His post read:
“The BIG ANNOUNCEMENT Is Here📢📢📢
Greetings,
I would like to address my current situation with EeZeeGlobal by making a formal disclaimer. As some of you may be aware, I was previously signed to this record label as an aspiring artist as of July 1st, 2022.
Regrettably, my experience with EeZee Concept did not meet my expectations. While I will not delve into specifics, I can assert that I was not treated appropriately. As a result, after much contemplation, I have opted to sever ties with the label.
I wish to clarify that I am no longer associated with EeZeeConcept in any capacity. I have embarked on my own independent music journey, and I would appreciate your support as I embark on this new chapter.
Thank you for your understanding and encouragement. I anticipate sharing more of my music with you all in the future.â€
In a recent exclusive interview with VANGUARD, the Akwa-Ibom-native artiste disclosed that unfair treatment from the record label led him to ‘part ways’ with them.
“I went for a programme at Abia state, I spoke in tongues while on stage, and when we got to our hotel room, he [vice-president of the record label] was asking me why I spoke in tongues on stage. He shouted at me. I was trying to explain to him that it was not my fault, I was led by the Holy Spirit, the next thing, he gave me the first slap, the second slap, the third slap, the fourth slap, and I started crying because my parents weren’t with me, they were in Lagos state. I didn’t have anyone, so I came back to Lagos state,†he revealed.
The young artiste also revealed that as an aftermath of the fallout, the record label, -who had been sponsoring his education, withdrew him from school and instead employed a home lesson teacher who taught him only three subjects out of the proposed nine he offered in school.
“It was my first term in SS2, I dropped out from school, and I stayed at home for four months while my classmates were at school studying. They [record label] just stopped me from going to school, saying they will be bringing a home lesson teacher to take me at home because of security reasons.â€
The singer’s recent revelation has since garnered mixed reception on social media. Some netizens took to the comments of his post to warn him and asked him to desist from ‘defaming’ the label while some urged him to keep speaking up, promising him a brighter future ahead.
A lot of users though are connecting the dots to gospel singer, Mercy Chinwo’s similar ‘fallout’ with the label prior to her exit.
Recall that earlier this year there were rumours of a dispute between the singer and her former label mate GUC, which lead to the two unfollowing each other on Instagram.
Following the two fallouts, many are left wondering if there’s more to what meets the eye going on in one of the most renowned gospel music labels in Africa.