The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

Congrats are in order for Bahamian gospel singer Vanessa Clarke who has been nominated for three international award shows.

Her project, “Like The Dew”, was nominated for six Prayze Factor Awards last year, and two weeks ago she got nods from the The Kingdom Image Awards, to be held in Columbus, Ohio this October, as well as a nomination from the S & M Gospel Indie Awards in the category of Best New Artist of the Year, to be held in North Carolina this July.

Vanessa believes this could be her breakthrough into the international market, as she puts the Bahamas on the gospel music map.

According to S & M Production’s website, the Gospel Indie Awards’ vision is to honour independent artists in an effort to help them get exposure and recognition. Meanwhile, the purpose of the Kingdom Image Awards is to honour artists and promote unity in the Christian community.

No stranger to recognition, Vanessa won the Gospel Music Marlin Award for Outstanding Female Vocalist in 1996. She then won three more awards over the course of 10 years, and along with the group Da Fam, captured the Bahamas’ Cacique Award for Best Song of the Year in 2005. She has travelled extensively to the United States and parts of the Caribbean for Christian ministry.

Vanessa’s newest single, “Plead My Cause”, is a prayer song that aims to invoke the presence and healing of God, and offer an open invitation to experience the power of the Almighty.

The song was inspired by Psalm 35, which describes God as the avenger of His people. The track also features one of the Bahamas’ most famous gospel groups – Shaback.

“I am deeply humbled by all of the international exposure and recognition the ‘Like the Dew Project’ is receiving. I poured my heart and soul into ensuring that it would be a beautiful project, and one that was a worthy worship offering to God. My primary goal was to ensure that at the end of the day He was glorified, not me. The fact that the world is taking notice is all God’s doing. I do it for Him and for the people He has called me to minister to. I wanted to give listeners an authentic taste of Vanessa and let them experience God most of all. So the nominations are just bonuses orchestrated by God in order for my destiny to be fulfilled. I am overwhelmed and humbled by it all,” the singer said.

At the upcoming Kingdom Image Awards, she said she is most looking forward to sharing the experience with her musical colleagues in ministry: Oslien Jadorte of Gateway Outreach Ministries in Bimini; Cara Newton-Thurston from Jubilee Cathedral in Grand Bahama, Kenyatta Taylor, with whom she won the Cacique Award in 2005.

“All of these Bahamian artists have also been nominated by the Kingdom Image Awards. Should anyone one of us win, it’s a win for the nation, it’s a win for the Bahamas. So I am looking forward to lending my support to these amazing gospel artists as well. I hope I win, but if I don’t I’m good, because at the end of the day I know and God knows, I gave Him all of me. We are going to have a good time,” said Vanessa.

Stay up to date with the gospel artist and her journey on the ‘Vanessa Clarke’ Facebook page.