Q: Felix Lebarty, what led to your transformation?

A: Before I left for America, I thought I needed to be a world star and money. You know, when you believe you have sold some records in Nigeria, you expect to be like the international star. But when I came back from America, I had another dream when I discovered that my people did not love me enough and I didn't want to worship idols. So, I opted for the true religion. I wanted to be a Christian but I saw that there were divisions in Christianity. I went into Islam and saw that Muslims were united. Islam showed love to me and I was sponsored on a holy pilgrimage to Mecca. You know, that in Islam, once your name is Mohammed, Muslims will reckon with you. But that is love that a man can give you. During my six and a half years in Islam, I went to Mecca and everywhere, but one day, I saw a vision. In the vision, I saw a figure and he said 'you are going to receive a divine revelation.' That was my turning point. I began to weep. My desires changed. Before then, I loved to see my wife dressed provocatively, but after the vision, my taste changed.

I then began to see that what I wanted was not the love from man but that from the Creator. It is only when you are possessed by the Holy Ghost that you can understand what love is.

Q: But people are still nostalgic about the songs you did?

A: They were good songs but when the Lord takes your face away from glamour, He wants to prepare you for something else. Jesus is doing something so wonderful in this country. There is going be an explosion in music in this country that will change the views of the people. People have been listening to rubbish like Ifeoma, I want to marry you, now, you will start to listen to music that will save people. I am going to call all the young musicians like Tuface, Faze and D'banj together, remove negative lyrics from them and replace them with those of light because they are prepared for God. I love them, but don't like what they sing. Much of their music is good, but the lyrics are not.

Q: Would you regard the period you were singing secular songs as wasted years?

A: They are not wasted. Yesterday gave birth to today. The experience of yesterday is what gives birth to that of today. I don't just want this generation to do what I did yesterday.

Q: What exactly took you away from the shores of this country?

A: You know, when you don't have the spirit of the living God in you, you begin to live a life of lies. You want to look for things where you can't find them.

Q: So you were living a life of lies?

A: I was living a life of lies.

Q: Why?

A: Because what I wasn't, I would tell you that I was then. I was driving a Cyclone when I knew I was not that rich. I had a car when I didn't have money to buy fuel, even to eat, feed my children and sponsor myself. Today, there is no way I will have N1 million and live in a house that is worth more than N300,000 because I have the fear of God. Knowing God is about having contentment. Why would you buy a ticket to New York four times in a year when you don't have money? There is nowhere in the world that I have not been. I began to beg people for money. When you live a life of lies, you will go from one problem to the other.

Q: But some would think that you opted for gospel music because you could not make it in secular music?

A: Let me tell you, if it is about music, I would have been one of the biggest names that you can ever think of today. But it is not about music. A man who understands music knows how to manage his way. A man that is in Christ will not be broke for long because he knows how to manage. In those days, many of my colleagues would be looking for money to buy tickets to travel abroad, but I had a lot of tickets reserved. Why? Because I knew how to manage my way. A lot of people thought I was into 419 or drugs because I was living a life that was bigger than I really was. All I needed to do as a showbiz person was meet a big man and tell him lies. He would believe me because I was a star. But I will not tell anybody lies this time around because I don't need to lie to any man. I don't need pretence to make it. The kind of life I lived then is gone. It made me look gainful for a while, but the end is bitter.

Q: Isn't your new album for a commercial purpose?

A: No, as for this new album that I did, I told the Lord I was not going to anybody for sponsorship. I went to a studio, I told the boy that owns it that I had no money but that 'this is for the Lord and I believe that the Lord will pay very soon.' He laughed and gave me three sessions after which he told me to pay whenever I had money. Later, somebody gave me N50,000. I went back to the studio and paid for the sessions and another three more sessions. Surprisingly, God used a Benin man to give me N750,000 which I used for the new album.

Q: What is the name of your church?

A: Soul Winners Christian Ministry.