Shei Atkins
Gospel/R&B singer Shei Atkins is unique in that she was originally categorized as being Gospel, but unapologetically went R&B even when confronted with criticism from those in the Gospel/Christian community. Her music was always a mixture, confusing people of her creative direction, but she chose not to categorize herself. Atkins revealed in an open letter explaining her decision to follow her heart towards gospel. “The messed up thing about the Christian community is that there is a religious and judgmental mentality inside of it that holds us back and keeps us from loving people when it comes to music,” she explains. “I can’t sing about life, love, and relationships under the Gospel title. It’s not because I don’t want to. It’s because of the mentality a lot of Christians have about music,” she continued.
