Gospel music artiste Pastor Samuel Selkridge’s album Transit continues to make waves following its release in November. The album, including the hit single Still Standing, has been nominated for five awards at the upcoming Gospel Music Awards of T&T.
Selkridge said the 16-track gospel album has gotten positive feedback since it was released digitally on November 8. The album can be considered fusion, as it contains reggae, dancehall, Afrobeats and soca rhythms. He said this was his first major album, as he had only released EPs and compilations in the past. “I began working on it seriously in 2018 but I have tracks on it as far back as 2016. I had to rework some of them, especially the singles that were released already, so they would have a fresh sound.”
Selkridge said Still Standing has been the most popular song so far on the album. “That song is giving God thanks for being preserved and being kept through all of life’s difficult circumstances and all of life’s difficult places, etc. It’s acknowledging the fact that it was not humanly possible to still be here with all the things that I’ve been through, you understand? So I just used the wisdom of coming through all those experiences to know that I didn’t keep myself, God had to keep me and that’s why I named the song Still Standing. It’s really a dancehall type song, with slower tempo. A lot of people are inspired and motivated by it also, to come to a place of understanding and also to a place of thanksgiving for what God has done with them to bring them to the place that they are at, when they analyse and assess what they have been through. I did a video for it also, it was done by Expression House Media and that is on YouTube.”
Still Standing has been nominated for Song of the Year for the Gospel Music Awards of Trinidad & Tobago (GMATT) 2020. The awards ceremony will be held on February 2, 2020. Selkridge said “I’ve been nominated in five categories at GMATT 2020- Album of the Year, Music Video of the Year for Still Standing, Song of the Year, also for Still Standing, Male Artiste of the Year and Songwriter of the Year. The album hit the top 20 on the local iTunes Top 100 Albums and Still Standing also hit the Top 100 for local songs.”
Selkridge has been interested in music since he was in preschool. He began writing poetry while at St. George’s College, but didn’t realise he had the ability to do music. It was after losing a freestyling battle at school that he began learning the skill of putting words to a beat rather than just writing poetry. “I grew up in a Christian home but when I went into secondary school I was exposed to different types of music. One of the genres that stuck with me is hip-hop, something about the lyricism really fascinated me and piqued my interest. One of my influences at a point in time was Eminem, the way how he would make words rhyme, his flow, everything was just crazy in spite of the fact the content wasn’t really what was edifying, but the skill is what really attracted me. Over time, I was exposed to different genres like reggae, dancehall and soca. I used to go to studios and record, along with my brother.”
Selkridge said he began to truly take music seriously in 2009. “I re-dedicated my heart to the Lord in 2009 and from then is when I began to do more with the music, taking it from a more inspirational, gospel approach. I released my first single in 2010 entitled Never Giving Up, a reggae track that was produced by Millbeatz Entertainment. It also featured Positive, Isaac King and a few other artists, including Simba Amani. After that, it was When I Wake, which gave me a lot of exposure because many people said it was fresh to their ears because the style of dancehall wasn’t churchy, it had an authentic dancehall sound, so it wasn’t like somebody in church trying to do dancehall. I guess it’s because of my ability to be able to soak in a genre to the point that I could do it and not sound like I’m just making an attempt, but do it to the best of my ability that would cause it to sound authentic. From then, I got more exposure, got bookings, etc.”
Selkridge is an ordained minister and prophet at Heaven Touching Earth International Ministries. “That is one of the things that makes me unique as a minister in terms of my ability to not just sing but also minister the word, prophesy, heal the sick, cast out demons and that kind of thing, so I am what people describe as an anomaly.”
The album is available digitally online on Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, Google Play and the Digicel D’Music App. For those who want a physical copy of the album, they can message Selkridge on social media under his artist name, Farenitefire on Instagram and Farenite on Facebook, to purchase one.
Discover more from Paula Lindo - Our histories, stories, present, future.
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
