Gospel singer Kim Burrell responded to critics who said she was “entitled” and “arrogant” for stopping a woman from singing along during a church service.
A viral video showed Burrell mid-sermon telling the congregation, “It’s a solo. God’s using me. Don’t sing with me right now.” When the woman kept singing, Burrell said more sternly, “I’m singing alone…I’ll call you when I’m ready.”
Many blasted Burrell online, calling her a “menace” for silencing the worshipper. One tweeted, “I don’t like her, but you’re not bout to sing over me either.” Another said, “At this point why are people still letting her sing in church? She spews too much hate.”
In a video response, Burrell explained she thought she was doing a solo and didn’t realize the woman was trying to join in worship. She said as someone who operates in the prophetic gifts, people don’t understand her spiritual disciplines.
Burrell claimed a parishioner signaled that the woman had a prophetic message to share. She said she later invited the woman on stage to dance in worship.
This is not the first scandal for Burrell, who previously faced backlash for disparaging remarks about the LGBTQ community and calling out “broke” and “ugly” people during a sermon.
Despite the criticism, Burrell maintains she was simply focused on her solo worship moment and didn’t immediately realize the context of the singing woman. She says there was no ill intent behind stopping the impromptu duet.