The group said they remain sidelined in the mainstream gospel music industry

Celebrated gospel acappella quartet, Alabaster Box, has opened up about the differences in how they are received at home versus abroad.

In an interview on Showbiz 360 on TV3, group members lamented that despite being widely respected within church circles and the acappella fraternity, they remain largely sidelined in the mainstream gospel music industry.

“We’ve been to big churches in the country, and we were not even given places to sit. Even after introducing ourselves, we are made to stand in one corner until it’s time for us to minister.

“Even on the artwork for certain shows, we are the ‘others.’ After the pictures of headline artistes are placed on the artwork, the slot they write ‘and many others,’ that is what is reserved for us,” they narrated.

In contrast, their experiences on international stages have been interestingly different, as they are treated like ‘royals.’

“The first time we went to London, I wept,” one of them said.

“We were treated like royalty, we were serviced properly, and even put in the same waiting room with the other dignitaries like TD Jakes.

“We never experienced anything like that in Ghana. We would never find ourselves in the same room as major pastors,” they added.

They drew attention to the underlying bias, stating, "Africans are like that; we tend to discriminate. They would never mix us despite the fact that we are all ministers.”

Nevertheless, the gospel group stresses that they refuse to be offended, choosing instead to remain steadfast in their calling and ministry.

ID/VPO

You can also watch an exclusive interview with AratheJay on the latest edition of Talkertainment below: