‘Sterling 8 will be great’ was the unwritten tag line for the eighth staging of the annual gospel music awards, and the founder, Basillia Barnaby-Cuff, her team and the nominees literally spoke that into being. Last Saturday night’s ceremony was a testament to positives in the gospel music industry. The event was executed professionally; the nominees were marked present and came out in their numbers (unlike what happens at local secular awards shows); except for two instances, one in which the winner was mourning the death of his wife, the gracious winners collected their awards themselves; and the audience was totally invested in the proceedings and showed an exuberance that was unmatched.
And, as has become the norm with this event, the fashion stakes were high...
very high. In keeping with the throwback theme, the lovely ladies and dashing gents oozed vintage glam a la London’s Regency era. Kudos to those who put in time and effort with their lavish attire to ensure that they looked as if they had stepped straight out a scene in the hit Netflix period drama, Bridgerton , onto the stage of the Sterling Gospel Music Awards at the Emmanuel Apostolic Church in Kingston.
The Sterling Gospel Music Awards has as its mandate to recognise and reward the creativity, talent and exceptional contribution of individuals to the gospel music industry. In addition to the nominees, there were special honourees, among them the late Rev Vivian ‘VB’ Burke (Sterling Award of Excellen.