In fine style, on July 27, 2024, Minister Blessed released his second EP, 'I Did It Anyway', standing on the power of deep faith in God and an understanding of the personal mission he has been charged with as a music minister! PAJE got the opportunity to chat with Minister Blessed, attend the concert and listen to the songs both live and recorded, so of course, we're going to let you in on a few things right here! Let's jump in!
PAJE: As we jump in, Minister Blessed, we're curious - Your style has always been set apart from others, what would you say has caused you to maintain that vibe over the years?
MB: In my early years of songwriting, I predominantly used one style of flow and I was comfortable with that until a producer and fellow artiste pointed out that some of my songs were sounding very alike and it would be good to diversify a bit more. This really pushed me to go beyond my comfort zone and make conscious efforts to differentiate my songs/sound as best as possible. Whenever I am in the process of writing songs, I always think back to make sure the melody nor title doesn't come too close to something I have done before especially if the songs will be on the same project
Held at Swallowfield Chapel in Kingston, Jamaica, Minister Blessed's EP Launch was beautifully crafted to be a solid showcasing of resilience, growth, textured messaging and musical diversity! With a line-up that showcased various genres from artistes who are currently nurturing their own communities to others who, similar to Minister Blessed, are taking their ministry to a new place, the line-up's musical expressions were well-rounded and well-received.
Hosted by Anya-Jean Wilson and Dexter Johnson, JR with the turntable support of DJ Mark, the event flowed with tones of comedy, comradery and true fellowship. The roughly 4-hour event came to a fitting close with Minister Blessed taking the audience personally through his new project with backstories, surprise guests, quality music and supporting vocalists, and what was truly a passionate and authentic showcasing of the lessons, challenges, triumphs and joys of his personal Christian walk.
With a variety of sounds and rhythms in his new collection, 'I Did It Anyway', Minister Blessed has returned boldly to the Gospel Music industry with a solid banner of faith, authenticity and confidence. The stunning collection is outfitted with tracks to encourage and uplift listeners.
PAJE: What would you say is the key message behind the entire project?
MB: The main message is two fold.
1) Recognising and appreciating God in all his sovereignty;
2) With that knowledge, being empowered and emboldened to go after our dreams despite the naysayers.
Released early to launch patrons and officially on all digital streaming platforms on August 1, 2024, the EP hosts 6 tracks, you can literally hear that Minister Blessed is at a new place in his journey and is ready for an even greater outpouring to happen through him.
TRACKLIST:
Unstoppable
Heavyweight
Treat Mi So
Again & Again
I Did It Anyway
I Worship You
PAJE: CONGRATS on the release of your EP! Tell us, firstly, what made you say it was time for not just a new release, but also, a new full project?
MB: This has been all God and following the leading of the Holy Spirit. I launched my 4th album late 2019 but didn't get to do much in 2020 due to the pandemic. I did my first EP late 2022 with a simple release online which was ok. Now in 2024, I felt the Lord calling me to raise the bar beyond a simple online release so I am doing a physical launch to accompany the new project as well.
PAJE: What would you say is the core message of each song on the EP?
MB:
Unstoppable speaks to God's sovereignty in that He is all Powerful.
Heavyweight declares our Lord as the undisputed champion of the universe.
Treat mi so gives delves into real life challenges of being mistreated by those closest to us i.e a friend, partner or family member.
Again & Again encourages listeners to trust God's track record of delivering us as he always does from every situation.
I Did It Anyway is a testament to the challenges I've faced and overcome along my music journey in the last 20 years.
I Worship You is a song of adoration and praise.
PAJE: What makes this body of work different from your previous body of work, 'Glory'?
MB: Several things are different about this body of work. Glory had a few songs that were old school dancehall and mento vibe as well as afro beat. This new EP has gone into different genres of worship, reggae and afro dancehall. Glory also centered around encouraging persons in rough times with songs like Life Hard & Bounce Back whereas this takes it a bit further by focusing on the sovereignty of God and how we can be strong in His power and might.
PAJE: What would you say to someone who feels like they've been doing their best in a specific area but somehow they haven't received the type of breakthrough or success they expected by now?
MB: I have lived this experience and know that countless others have too. What's interesting and real is that in so many cases, the breakthrough comes just when one leasts expects it.
I encourage you to keep striving, keep hoping, keep believing and keep pressing on in Jesus name.
Sometimes you will have to be your own greatest cheerleader and knowing that God has called you for this - continue to move forward in spite of the setbacks - DO IT ANYWAY!
PAJE: What's one characteristic about God that has really blown your mind over the past 3 years, especially?
MB: God is a provider. Jehovah's ability to make provision and get me through the toughest of times has really blown my mind. I've had some real lows and been in some situations that seemed impossible to get out of, overcome or handle YET somehow He makes a way 'again and again' (don't know how but He did it and I'm forever grateful).
We truly thank Minister Blessed for taking the time to speak with us regarding his latest collection and his journey to its release! It was truly a pleasure witnessing the unfolding of the event, first-hand in addition to this conversation and our upcoming Podcast interview with him! Remember to stream his EP on all digital streaming platforms! To see highlights of the event, you may view photos here: https://minister-blessed-ep.dexterandre.com/
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Who is Minister Blessed?
Jamaican Gospel Reggae Artiste Matthew Blake, more popularly known as Minister Blessed was born on October 22 in Kingston, Jamaica. Though being baptized at an early age of 10, Matthew struggled with a range of issues in his teenage years including low self-esteem and suicide.
Having recommitted his life to the Lord at age 14, he embarked on using his musical talent to spread the gospel message. In 2001 he entered the Jamaica Youth for Christ deejay competition where he won at the regional, parish and national level. This paved the way for him to perform on the grand stages of ‘Gospel N Motion’ and ‘Genesis’.
In 2005 he recorded his most popular song at the time (‘Dandy Shandy’). Since then he has released four studio albums entitled Purpose, Keep Pressing On, God Is Faithful and Set Me Free. Producers on these projects include Dizzle Lab Productions, Biblical Productions, Stand Firm Productions, Lazarus Productions, Remla Productions, Covenant Entertainment, Shabach Records, RB Records to name a few. Minister Blessed has performed on some of the leading Gospel Events in Jamaica including Genesis Praise Festival, Gosplash, A Beta Tomorrow, Clarendon Seafood Festival, Kingston Jerk Gospel Music Festival amongst others. He has also ministered on various platforms across the United States. Additionally, Minister Blessed has shared stages with Papa San, Stitchie, Kevin Downswell, Jermaine Edwards, Positive, Sherwin Gardner and more. He also has collaborations with DJ Nicholas, Ryan Mark, O2DR, Jodian Pantry, Dessi-Ann Yetman, and others.
Minister Blessed is featured on Garfield Reid’s debut album with their calypso favourite entitled Victory. He is also featured on Sean Lypher’s latest mix tape and music video with their hit ‘Far’. Some of Minister Blessed’s popular songs include Rep Christ, Glad Bag Buss, Wash All Away, Be Like You, and Shake Off You Problem. He has also appeared on compilation albums such as Mainframe, Spirit Scription, Generation Israel, Conquering Riddim, Restoration Riddim, White Wash; and Grave Clothes.
Touted as one of the most consistent, humorous, and vibrant gospel artistes on the Jamaican scene; Minister Blessed was the recipient of the Love Gospel Award Gospel Deejay Of The Year 2015 - 2016 consecutively in Kingston Jamaica. He has also hosted various concert series over the years namely Operation Consecration (2005 - 2009), We A Come From Far (2015, 2016 & 2018).
In 2017 he migrated to a small island called Guernsey (which lies between England and France) before relocating to the United Kingdom late 2023. While in Guernsey, MB headlined events such as Afro-Caribbean Fusion, Afro-Caribbean Christmas, and Non-Stop Jamming. His songs also featured on BBC Music Introducing in the Channel Islands. Although living overseas, Minister Blessed has consistently released one single per year and kept the connection with Jamaican audiences making previous returns to perform at local gospel concerts such as Genesis Praise Fest, Gospel Tenacity and Praise Break (2019).
On October 22, 2022, Minister Blessed released his first EP called Glory. One of the songs from this project entitled ‘Non-Stop’, won dancehall song of the year in the Antigua and Gospel Music Awards in 2023.
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