Watson André Jebbinson, Staff Reporter
Shelly-Ann Watson has been endowed with a special gift from God and is very passionate about her ministry. She is one of the 10 finalists in this year's Jamaica Cultural Development Commission Gospel Song Competition.
This year marks the second time Watson has entered the competition, after a top-10 finish in 2003. More confident than she was then, she believes this is the year she will walk away with the main prize.
"The anointing of God is the single most important thing that makes the difference in my ministry," Watson said. "A beautiful voice is not the only thing that cuts it, not if you're into soul-saving and not just soul-stirrings."
Watson is now a firm believer in the work of faith and the covenant relationship that she has with God. This has led her to the conviction that a bright future awaits her in Christian ministry and she is therefore determined to keep doing what she does best to the honour and glory of God.
She had no intention of entering the competition in the way she has. She wrote Year of the Church and tried to find somebody to perform it.
Not convinced that the song was coming across the way she wanted it to, she decided who best to interpret the song but she. Plus, she was also more seasoned in the competition.
"I went through the routine before,so I knew what to expect. Trust me, I was stretched and that got me ready," she said.
Year of the Church is a song seeking to establish the church as the most dominant aspect of society. "It is a challenge and also answers to the challenge. It asks who from among us will rise and tell the nation. This is a year of favour in the life of the church," she said.
Watson is a trained nurse, but gave that up to do what the Lord intended for her life.
"I had to train to become a nurse, but singing is just something I do. This was invested in me by the Lord," she said.
Watson made her first public singing appearance at the Blue Mountain Apostolic Church in Manchester at age eight. She has since shared stage with some of Jamaica's finest gospel performers, including Carlene Davis, Papa San, Junior Tucker, Prodigal Son (Bless) and Sandra Brooks.
Among the concerts she has performed on are the Gospel Train 2001 series, the 2002 Caribbean Music Expo Awards and 'Fun in the Son' spring break sospel festival in St. Ann.
