By Michaela Gordoni
Andy Mineo doesn’t want to be known as a “Christian” artist — but it’s not for the reason you might think.
“I tried to shed the label ‘Christian artist,’ and I think a lot of people are upset about that because they think somehow I’m trying to deny Jesus, and I’m like, no I’m not,’” he explained in a recent podcast interview. “I’m just trying to not directly connect my monetary value to being a Christian.”
“I wanna follow Jesus. I don’t wanna monetize Him. That’s really what I’m trying to do,” he explained.
He simply doesn’t want to use Jesus’ name to bring himself monetary gain.
In that scenario, “Now I’m not being a good artist and I’m also not even being, like, honest,” Mineo said. “So if you ever hear me talk about Jesus in my music, it’s cause I actually am having a serious sincere moment…So if you remove that title, now I’m just an artist who is also a Christian.”
Related: Christian Rapper Andy Mineo Wants the Bible to Lead Him Every Day!
“When you hear me talk about this or that or marriage or life or whatever, all coming from me and that’s why I was saying earlier, a Christian isn’t an entire personality,” he stressed. “It’s a part of who I am, and it informs. I’m not gonna package up every single time I do something in order to appease an audience cause I’m not a product. I’m a person.”
The “Now They Know” artist likes to think of himself as a Christian who makes art rather than a Christian artist.
“There’s unspoken expectations…and I usually don’t deliver,” he said of being called a Christian artist in another interview. “Faith is integrated through my life, my music but not every song.”
Mineo’s said this for a decade.
“I try to stay away from the label Christian artist. I just want to make great art because I don’t want it to hinder me as much as it’s benefiting me,” he told Rapzilla in 2016.
“Christians are like ‘yeah!’ and non-Christians are like, ‘Why would I want to listen to that?’ and that’s the whole point why I made the music, to have conversations with everyone, not just Christians,” Mineo said.
He just wants to be himself, period. And as a creator, he’s more than just a Christian.
He continued, “I think that is some of the problem, that divide of Christian artists versus non-Christian artists and there has been industries built around those things. Industries have been built around the divide, the sacred and secular divide.”
“It’s a double edge sword because one when you say Christian in front of whatever, it automatically gives a sense of security or safety for the other Christian to engage with and be like, ‘Oh, someone like me’. It helps Christians find other Christians, I guess. But the damage it does, I think, far surpasses the benefit of labeling something, quote on quote, Christian or not Christian,” he said. “That’s been a debate for like 107 years.”
For Mineo, dropping the “Christian artist” label isn’t about walking away from faith — it’s about creating art without turning belief into a brand.
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