“I Had No Bank Account… All My Money Was in My Pocket” — Frank Edwards Recounts the Breakthrough That Led to Don Moen Recognising Him
“I Had No Bank Account… All My Money Was in My Pocket” — Frank Edwards Recounts the Breakthrough That Led to Don Moen Recognising Him
Nigerian gospel singer Frank Edwards has shared the inspiring journey that took him from recording music while squatting in a friend’s one-room apartment to being recognised by internationally acclaimed gospel minister Don Moen.
Speaking during a church gathering, Frank revealed that after recording his now-famous song “Mma Mma” under a blanket to block out noise from a busy roadside, he continued living in the one-room apartment where he was squatting with a friend.
According to him, the small recording setup he had in one corner of the room consisted of little more than a laptop and a speaker. Yet, his roommate kept telling people they had a “big studio” in the house because he believed in Frank’s talent.
One day, a gospel music marketer from their church heard about the supposed studio through Frank’s roommate and decided to visit.
When the man arrived, he was surprised to discover that the “studio” was nothing like what he had imagined. However, after listening to Frank’s songs, he immediately recognised the talent before him.
The marketer offered Frank a ₦4 million contract to market his music for a number of years.
Frank admitted he signed the agreement without even reading the contract or asking a lawyer to review it.
“Thank God it wasn’t a bad contract,” he said.
When the marketer asked for his bank account details so the money could be paid, Frank gave an answer that left everyone stunned.
“I didn’t have an account. All the money I had was in my pocket,” he recalled.
That deal became the breakthrough that changed his life. The money enabled him to leave the room where he had been squatting, rent a better place, and build a proper recording studio. As his songs spread, his name became known across the gospel music community.
Some time later, Frank attended The Experience, the annual gospel concert that brings together leading worship ministers from around the world. There, he saw Don Moen and hoped to take a photograph with him.
Not wanting to miss the opportunity, he quietly asked someone nearby to begin taking pictures as he approached.
“I told the person, ‘As I’m talking to him, just keep snapping. Even if he says no, at least I’ll have pictures that I met Don Moen,’”, he said.
Don Moen gladly agreed to the photo. But after finishing a conversation with someone else, he turned to Frank and said, “Frank?”
Frank said he could hardly believe what he had just heard.
“I asked myself, ‘Did Don Moen just call my name?’” he recalled.
According to Frank, Don Moen told him he had heard about his ministry from other respected ministers and had already decided that whenever they eventually met, they would work together.
“I did not lobby for it. It was him,” Frank said, adding that the relationship opened another major chapter in his ministry and career.
His story is a reminder that success rarely happens overnight. Behind the moment Don Moen recognised his name was a journey of faith, humble beginnings, relentless hard work, and one life-changing opportunity that opened the door to many others.
