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In a widely shared video, a flight attendant told Storm that she would be removed if she would not listen to his instructions to be quiet.
Bobbi Storm has performed with the music group Maverick City Music, which is nominated for two Grammy Awards. Paul Sancya / AP
By Amanda Holpuch, New York Times Service
updated on November 13, 2023 | 4:18 PM
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.
The singer, Bobbi Storm, posted a video on her social media accounts that showed her and a flight attendant calmly arguing because Storm wanted to sing on the plane before takeoff and the flight attendant wanted her to be quiet.
@bobbi_storm
Oooooooooi watching this back | have came a loooooooong way! | been into it with a flight attendant before in which resulted in a major airline calling to bribe me with miles and apologize and I wasn’t even singing on it…l was just black and she had a bad day. 🤷🏾♀️ I’m glad I got to share this moment with people on this flight that embraced me and celebrated with me. I want to post this for people who have momentary power… It gets us no where being nasty and I’ll leave that there! Blessings to you all from your #FearlessFlightSinger #TheMaverickWay #WeCantForgetHim #grammys
♬ original sound – bobbi_storm
The video, which lasts about four minutes, was criticized online by those who accused Storm of being disruptive. But it was also celebrated by others, prompting 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 phones, we talk to neighbors, sometimes we yell across the plane, so what’s the problem with asking people and them giving me the go, to share something that I’m proud of, something that God has done for me, with the rest of the world,” Storm said in one video.
It was not clear when the flight occurred, where it originated or where it was headed.
The video from the plane begins with Storm walking back to her seat after the flight attendant, who is not named, asks her to be seated.
Storm then sits and faces the aisle, telling passengers that she was just nominated for two Grammy Awards. Storm is not individually nominated 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. Storm also did not immediately respond to a request.
In the flight video, as Storm speaks to the other passengers from her seat, the flight attendant comes to her row and asks: “Are you able to be quiet?”
After the pair argue briefly, the flight attendant tells Storm, “If you are not able to follow my instructions, you will not be taking this flight.”
“If that’s the case, then that’s fine,” Storm responds.
After the flight attendant walks away, Storm sings her new single, “We Can’t Forget Him,” quietly to passengers and the flight attendant does not intervene.
Delta said in a statement that it had been in contact with Storm.
“For the safety of our customers and crew, it’s always important to follow crew instructions,” the statement said.
In one of the social media videos, Storm said she had sung on many flights before and God had called her to sing on this recent one. She said that the flight had boarded, started to taxi, then returned to the gate because of a maintenance issue.
After the plane returned to the gate, she said, “it was time for me to follow through with my mission,” and she started to sing.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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