WASHINGTON — A gospel singer was threatened with being kicked off a recent Delta flight after she refused to stop singing on a plane.
Singer Bobbi Storm posted a video on social media Saturday that shows her standing in the aisle of the plane when a crew member approaches and instructs her to sit down and "be quiet." It's unclear based on when the recording begins whether she had been singing at that point.
The widely-shared video continues with Storm returning to her seat and announcing that she was just nominated for two Grammys. Storm is part of the gospel group Maverick City Music, which earned nominations for Best Gospel Album and Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.
In the video, she and the flight attendant continue a back-and-forth argument, with the crew member repeatedly asking whether she's able to be quiet. At one point, the flight attendant states that he is the flight leader and if she isn't able to follow the instructions then she won't be able to take the flight.
After the flight attendant leaves, the video shows that Storm continues to speak quietly and sings to those around her anyway.
Some on social media criticized Storm for treating the plane like her personal stage, while others came to her defense. She later posted two more videos explaining what had happened and why she decided to get up and 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 a follow-up video.
It's unclear when the flight occurred, where it was leaving from and where it was headed. In a follow-up video, she explained that after initially taxiing the plane returned to the gate to take care of what the crew said was a brief maintenance issue. According to Storm, that's when she decided to get up and sing.
Storm also said Delta had since reached out to her and apologized.
A Delta spokesperson confirmed in a statement that the company had been in contact with Storm.
"For the safety of our customers and crew, it's always important to follow crew instructions,” the statement added.
