Local gospel singer Neesha Woodz won two awards in the recently held Barbados Flame Gospel Awards. She copped the Best Scripture-Based Song and Music Video with her song No Hay Nada.
But her glee does not end there. The singer is about to launch her album Incredible God on a new date with a new venue. The album launch, which was postponed from earlier this year due to the COVID-19 restrictions, will be held on Sunday, August 2 at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Neesha told Bajan Vibes that some slight changes were made to the line-up. “One artiste has been omitted and even though we will still include the Trinidadian artistes, their performances will now be done virtually, along with the live Bajan cast performances.”
The singer promises those who attend a “great show”. “Come with the expectation that it is going to be a great show and patrons will certainly be blessed! We are now ministering from a place of having gone through an ordeal that shook all of us in many different ways.”
She added: “People are in need of hope, counsel, encouragement and uplifting of spirit and all of this and more will be happening. Our wonderful sponsors have still stayed the course with us and people can expect to be blessed with numerous giveaways from entities such as Signia Globe Financial Inc., Courts Barbados, Chefette Restaurants, Sneakerheads Barbados and Wibisco. Patrons should just come prepared to be amazed. It is going to be an event like no other.”
Neesha said so far the response to the up-coming event has been better than the response to the first date.
“The response has been, in some ways, even better than the initial promotion. People who were waiting on the event to happen are so excited and even getting tickets for some friends and family that weren’t coming before. They are happy to have an event they can come out to in the Christian/Gospel community and just have that atmosphere that they can worship God and have fun since we have been on lock down for a while.”
However, the planning and staging of the event has been challenging, but they are making the most of it. “It has both been challenging and difficult in that we can no longer facilitate the numbers we were poised to have if the concert had come off in March. In all of this, though, the team has seen how all of these changes are working together for our good.”
She explained: “Initially, I would have been very disappointed to have to cancel the event, as there was such a buzz about it and I would have done it in my birth month, while celebrating my birthday as well. But I am very happy and at peace doing it at this time, which I call the ‘safe period’.”
Patrons must come armed with their masks and still have to practice the social distancing guidelines of three feet apart. The venue already has the seating set apart unless you are coming with your family, of course. In that instance, the families can sit together. Also, hand sanitizing stations are already in place as well.
The album has 15 tracks including singles such as Defenda, I Can Feel It, Follow, Mighty, God of Miracles and the title track Incredible God.
Incredible God was produced by: from Barbados, David Thomas, Rafael Hinds and Adrian Odle; from Antigua, Glenroy James and Max Medica; from Guyana, Samuel Medas; from Trinidad and Tobago, Joel “Jprince” Prince, “Nathanael” and Reuel Lynch of Deer Panteth productions. The latter produced five songs on the album.
Neesha believes that positive and uplifting music is needed at a time like this. “Music and entertainment are always vital but especially at a time like this, it is medicine to the soul. I am sure if you asked a random person on the street how they were able to get through a time as challenging as this, somewhere in their answer they will mention some song that helped them to get through this time. I believe because of this people are ready and willing to come out and be in an environment where music can take their minds to a place of tranquillity and happiness.”
During the COVID-19 restrictions period, Neesha hosted her own worship event and Instagram series called The Flow and tenouttatentheigseries.
“It became a joy for me to go online and sing or speak to others. It made me realise that we are not only called to those in the four walls but we have this medium whereby we don’t have to only use platforms like Instagram and Facebook to promote ourselves and our brand but really utilize it to bless other people, who may never come into a church or come to an event. I thoroughly enjoyed connecting with my supporters and new people in this way and going forward, I will continue to do so.”
And while the COVID-19 period was trying for most, Neesha learnt some lessons as she found solace in God, in her Christian walk and her faith.
“I’ve also learned so many things, good and bad, about myself. For instance, I’ve learned that sometimes I don’t deal with disappointment in the best of ways, so I started working on that. I’ve also learned that I still love to cook and bake. It is just that I didn’t have much time to do it before, but during lock down I did almost every day.
Neesha said: “On a greater scale, I have noted that we really don’t have tomorrow or next year ‘put down’, so anything we have to do, we must not procrastinate but do it now, while we have breath and opportunity. This time has also reaffirmed that jobs may go, finances may go, loved ones may go, but Jesus is the one constant in life and when everything else fails.” (IMC)
