Minister Godartiste sings a prayer for Jamaica - Says the track was not the easiest of songs to write

What was originally inspired to be a song speaking against the abuse of women in our society transformed into a prayer for help, said singer and songwriter Minister Godartiste of his track, titled Eternal Fada.

“The [Something Good Riddim] was given to me in Antigua,” said Minister Godartiste, and it has the signature low tempo and drum pattern unique to a reggae production. The rhythm was created by the Cadence Fire Warriors Studio in that country, and produced by Derrick Johnson.

“On my journey from there in December, I started the exploration into ways I could use a reggae rhythm from another country to create something that was authentically Jamaican,” the gospel-reggae artiste explained.

“I zoomed in on things happening in the news, the spike in numbers of women being killed by our men, and the words ‘eternal fada’ escaped from my mouth; but then the rest was me just mumbling through the melody,” he continued.

Minister Godartiste notes that, in his songwriting process, the chorus would usually be the first part of the lyrics that comes together, but for the song, there was no inspiration for words to write the verse until mid-January.

COMPLEXED PROCESS

“It would initially, I would say, take me a day or less than to get the chorus complete, but I found that it was taking me a bit longer to put a total song together. The direction was not completely new either. There were alarming numbers of relationship-related [songs] and I wanted to tackle it from that perspective, but it then became a prayer for help for the economy, the people, and to get past this difficult period of our lives and learn from it,” he said of the song’s transformation, which, as a prayer, has become more relevant in the past month.

“The song was completed, produced and released in a time when the world is in a crisis as a result of the pandemic, so I’m singing out ‘Eternal Fada, can you hear me now?’ for persons to join me in praying for better.”

Strangely, there was a time when Minister Godartiste did not believe in himself or that people would listen to his music. As a full-time student of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, the gospel-reggae artiste said he has been able to utilise the criticism of lecturers and his peers as motivation to push forward.

“Jamaica has some real good singers in gospel, and I aspired to be similar to those ‘worship artistes’, but when I would create something, it doesn’t sound the same. When I would go to gospel concerts and listen to the individuals who performed before, I would say, ‘I can’t do this’ or feel like I don’t belong in that vein,” he told The Gleaner.

“I am in my third year at the college, but second year as a full-time student, and while I started my journey before, it has been easier for me to use up the resources available to me. When I performed at a school event, the more I sang, the more I was encouraged to do original pieces.”

Some of Minister Godartiste’s best tracks are Got to be Free, Praise You Everyday, One Day and Free Up, a collaboration with Johnmark Wiggan, all of which explore a broad scope of musical genres, but he says, in sending motivational messages – his efforts to give back to Jamaica – the goal is to cross borders with his music.

“I rediscovered myself and was able to develop my own musical identity. At some point in my career I was trying to find a sound, a genre I would stick to, but I have come to realise reggae is a potent force and I want to be in the movement to serve as a pioneer of our music through gospel and carrying out that positive message. Eternal Fada is an indication of where the ministry intends to go,” he said.

stephanie.lyew@gleanerjm.com