Gospel singer who wouldn’t stop singing on the plane was threatened with expulsion

A gospel singer was threatened with removal 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.”

The singer, Bobbi Storm, posted a video to her social media accounts which revealed that she and a flight attendant were arguing quietly because Ms. Storm wanted to sing on the plane before takeoff and the flight attendant wanted her to be quiet.

The video, which lasts about four minutes, was criticized online by those who accused Ms Storm of being disruptive. But it was also celebrated by others, prompting Ms Storm to post two more videos explaining what had happened and why she had chosen to sing.

“When we get to the end of a flight we talk on the phone, we talk to neighbors, sometimes we shout across the plane, so what’s the big deal in asking people and giving me the opportunity to share something I’m proud of I am excited about something that God has done for me, along with the rest of the world,” said Ms. Storm in one video.

It was not clear when the flight took place, where it came from or where it was going.

The video from the plane begins with Ms Storm walking back to her seat after the flight attendant, who has not been named, asks her to sit down.

Mrs. Storm then sits down and looks down the aisle and tells the passengers that she has just been nominated for two Grammy Awards. Ms. Storm has not been nominated individually, but she 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 flight video, as Ms. Storm speaks to the other passengers from her seat, the flight attendant comes to her row and asks, “Can you be quiet?”

After the pair argue briefly, the flight attendant tells Ms. Storm, “If you cannot follow my instructions, you will not take this flight.”

“If that’s the case, that’s fine,” Ms. Storm replies.

After the stewardess walks away, Ms. Storm sings her new single: ‘We cannot forget him’ silent to 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 social media videos, Ms. Storm said she had sung on many flights before and that God had called her to sing on this recent flight. She said the flight boarded, began taxiing and then returned to the gate due to a maintenance issue.

After the plane returned to the gate, she said, “It was time for me to continue my mission” and started singing.