5 Questions With Perpetual Sounds of Praise

Multiple Sterling Gospel Music Award nominee, Perpetual Sounds of Praise, will on Saturday evening be celebrated by the awards body as one of the legends who have “spent more than 20 years shaping and influencing the gospel industry”. The event unfolds at the Emanuel Apostolic Church on Slipe Road.

This Sterling acknowledgement means a lot to the group, which was founded 22 years ago by broadcaster and singer Nadine Blair and is described as a transitional group. Quizzed on how many members are in the group currently, the first response was “500”. The number could be somewhere close to that because, once a member, always a member. The current group, however, comprises 10 persons.

Actually, quite a few of Jamaica’s top singers and musicians have transitioned from Perpetual Praise, including Kevin Downswell, Jermaine Edwards, Judith Gayle, Kerron Ennis, Prodigal Son, DJ Nicholas, Latoya HD, Andrea McCurdy, Jai-Kingston, Joseph R, Othneil Lewis, Wade Johnson, Johnny Clarke, Craig McDonald, Gregory Palmer, Dale Brown and Dale Lowe.

The team at Perpetual Sounds of Praise stages their own events, ministers on various stages, and has provided background vocal support for Kirk Franklin, shared stage with Donnie McClurkin, Mary Mary and others.

Among their released projects is an EP with three original songs– Singing Your Song, Latter Rain and Send Me. Other musical works include songs with Kevin Downswell, Jermaine Edwards, Prodigal Son, Kerron Ennis, Sherwin Gardener and Ashaala Shanae.

This year, in addition to being honoured, Perpetual Sounds of Praise, which also goes by the name Perpetual Praise, has been nominated in the Group of the Year category at the Sterling Awards.

Recently, 5 Questions With ... caught up with some members of Perpetual Praise and had a brief chat with them against a background of perpetual laughter.

1. Tell us about Perpetual Sounds of Praise and your contribution to the group.

Jucal Dyer: Perpetual Praise was founded and directed by our very own Nadine Blair, who has been doing a great job. Me just ketch. I’m one of the tenors. Two to three years ago, I was asked, ‘Can you sing tenor?’ and I have been stuck ever since (laughs). I have been enjoying it. We have been on some platforms that I never see myself ... I will look in the audience and seh ‘Wait … bout 10 million people out there’. And, one thing with Auntie Nadine, she’s going to draw me in to sing a song that I don’t know the lyrics for … but God be praised.

2. How do you feel about your own Sterling Gospel Music Award nomination?

Jucal Dyer: This is my second nomination and I am humbled. Out of everybody in the industry, I was acknowledged for a second time. I sorta, kinda expected it ... there are not that many of us. I was nominated for Gospel Personality of the Year and Radio Personality of the Year [Love 101 FM] and will be co-hosting this year, so I am very excited.

3. How important is being a member of Perpetual Praise to you?

Sabrina Bryce: I joined in 2017 and, unlike other persons who were approached by Auntie Nadine, I asked her if I could join and I’ve been here ever since. I don’t consider myself one of the most dynamic vocalists with the curly voice … . I am one of the more normal, traditional persons from country. But it was so humbling and eye-opening to be at a place where the greats in music in Jamaica and the Caribbean are. I felt that I needed to be a part of this, and being under the tutelage of Nadine Blair has moulded me … to own your own in a space and accept the gift the Lord has given to you and especially to share it. We are happy to be a part of the group and to be recognised by the Sterling Gospel Music Awards.

4. What was your mission more than two decades ago when you founded Perpetual Praise?

Nadine Blair: When it started 22 years ago, the Lord told me to do an extended worship and, back then, we started with a group called TMJ. We had a few persons for the very first one. It was three hours of non-stop worship at Fellowship Tabernacle. The motto for Allowed to Shine [the umbrella organisation for Perpetual Praise] is ‘Christ through us to others for others to shine’. So it’s not about us shining.

5. (a) What was your reaction when you were told that the group would be honoured this year?

Nadine Blair:I feel humbled and I am proud of the ‘now’ team because they get to bask in this, because, without them, there wouldn’t be a now. The others have played their role and have left. When Bas [Basillia Barnaby-Cuff] called me and told me I was like ‘Oh my goodness, this is beautiful. Thank you so much’.

(b) And you also have another nomination this year?

It’s humbling. And it’s an honour to be nominated … to be thought about, considered. We do our work in the background and we have always been nominated for Best Group ... every year [laughs]. But ah tell yuh, Levys … yuh can’t win dem ... because dem just so good. I remember one year we were nominated with the Foster Triplet and, when I saw them, I was like ‘that’s it’. Foster Triplets, don’t romp with them. The Sterling Gospel Music Awards in its eighth year is doing a wonderful thing. It’s doing something that was missing in the gospel music industry all this time, and Jamaica is very strong in gospel music.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com