A gospel singer was threatened with being removed from a Delta Air Lines flight after she refused to stop singing on the plane because she said she was “doing what the Lord told her to do.”
Singer Bobbi Storm, posted the video on her social media accounts it showed her and the flight attendant having a peaceful argument because Mrs. Storm wanted to sing on the plane before takeoff and the flight attendant wanted it to be quiet.
The video, which runs for around four minutes, has been criticized online by those who have accused Ms Storm of being disruptive. But it was celebrated by others, prompting Ms. Storm to release two more videos explaining what happened and why she chose to sing.
“When we get to the end of the flight, we talk on the phone, we talk to our neighbors, sometimes we fight over the plane, so what’s the problem if I ask people and they give me, to share something that I’m proud of, something that God has done for me, with the rest of the world,” Ms. Storm said in one video.
It was not clear when the flight took place, where it originated or where it was headed.
The video from the plane begins with Ms Storm walking back to her seat after a flight attendant, who has not been named, asks her to sit down.
Ms. Storm then sits down and turns to face the aisle, telling the passengers that she has just been nominated for two Grammy Awards. Ms. Storm is not nominated individually, but has performed with Maverick City Music, which is nominated at the 2024 Grammy Awards for Best Gospel Album and with other artists for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.
The group, which won four Grammy Awards in 2023, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. Ms. Storm also did not immediately respond to a request.
In the video of the flight, as Ms. Storm is talking to other passengers from her seat, a flight attendant comes to her row and asks: “Can you be quiet?”
After the pair have a brief argument, the flight attendant tells Ms. Storm, “If you are unable to follow my instructions, you will not be flying this flight.”
“If that’s the case, then that’s fine,” Ms. Storm replies.
After the stewardess leaves, Ms. Storm sings her new single, “We can’t forget him” quietly to the passengers and the flight attendant does not intervene.
Delta said in a statement that it had been in contact with Ms. Storm.
“For the safety of our customers and crew, it is always important to follow crew instructions,” the statement said.
In one of the videos on social media, Ms Storm said she had sung on many flights before and that God had called her to sing on this recent one. She said he boarded the flight, taxied, then returned to the gate due to a maintenance issue.
After the plane returned to the gate, she said, “It’s time to complete my mission,” and began to sing.