High marks for 9th staging of Sterling Gospel Music Awards
Published:Tuesday | October 7, 2025 | 12:08 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
Gospel music had its big night out last Saturday when the Emmanuel Apostolic Church, in Portmore, St Catherine, came alive with the sweet sound of music interspersed with cheers of approval as the winners of the Sterling awards were announced. Red carpet glamour and awards honour jostled for centre stage on a night on which attendees put their best themed ‘African Elegance’ foot forward and showed the secular world how tastefully fashionable Christians can be.
The SGMA, “the Caribbean’s premier platform for recognising and celebrating gospel music excellence” recognised persons across 17 categories, as well as the recipients of the prestigious KFC Big Deal Kingdom Stalwarts Awards. Bishops Everton Thompson, Herro Blair, Ronald Blair (posthumous), Rohan Edwards, and Delford Davison were recognised for their outstanding work in the faith community. Two surprise spotlight awards were also unveiled.
Minister Jayson Downer was recognised for his impactful work in male mentorship and leading efforts against violence, with the Sterling Award for Excellence, and it took him completely by surprise. “I am speechless,” said Downer, who is also an associate forensic psychologist, youth development specialist and the president of Men of God Against Violence and Abuse.
And, Downer didn’t just smile and say “thank you.” He used the platform to deliver a meaningful message. “The issue of violence and abuse is one that seriously affects the church. While we fast and pray as the church .. as we should ... but let me encourage us that we take some more practical approach in offering psycho therapy. There are too many traumatised people in our podiums, particularly as a result of childhood trauma, and we seek to suppress it. But jus’ know dat pressure buss pipe. And as such, I encourage us as people of faith, that while we fast and we pray, we also use therapy to help us to navigate the stresses that come with this walk on this Earth, even though we are believers in Jesus Christ.”
Most of the award winners kept their acceptance speeches very short, although some were quite dramatic, especially Nieson Williams who shouted, “This is not me, this is God!” Everybody seemed to agree. He picked up his award for the programme Gospel Beat in the category Most Rated Radio Programme. It airs on Gospel JA.
One of the night’s big winners was Chevelle Franklin, who won Album of the Year for South Wind Vol. 1 and Female Artiste of the Year. She was not present to collect her awards. Also winning two awards were Prince Saj – Male Artiste of the Year and Collab of the Year for No More Dan Wi, with Johnmark Wiggan; and Kevin Downswell for Local Hit of the Year and Local Hit Producer of the Year for My Year. He was overseas at a concert, but sent his acceptance speeches via video. Genesis Praise Squad, a collective of bright, young people, won not only Breakout Sensation of the Year but also Group of the Year.
A huge part of the evening was the entertainment, which was skilfully woven into the programme and saw some really fiery performances that had the almost capacity audience out of their seats and having a catawampus time, dancing and celebrating excellence in gospel. Among the performers were Prince Saj, Petra Kaye, Jai Kingston, Carey Sayles, Gilead Collective, Raheim Betty (Gospel Star Winner 2025), Jaida Messam (Gospel Star Winner 2024), and Coopy Bly from Uganda.
Founder of the SGMA, Basillia Barnaby-Cuffe, told The Gleaner that the ninth staging of the awards and the turnout met her expectations.
“While we don’t have the exact numbers yet, we can confidently say yes. The feedback from those in attendance has been overwhelmingly positive – many shared how blessed they were, and we felt the same. We’re also mindful that a few factors prevented some from attending in person, but the virtual participation was strong and turned out to be a beautiful experience in its own right,” Barnaby-Cuffe said.
And what made Saturday night’s event particularly special for her? “Definitely the reactions from our specially recognised honorees – the KFC Big Deal Stalwarts – as well as the surprise Award for Excellence recipient, Minister Jayson Downer of MoGAVA, and the unexpected Sterling/KFC Spotlight Awardees. Moments like those remind us why we do this. One of our core mandates is to give people their flowers while they can receive them, and Saturday felt like a true fulfilment of that mission,” the mother of two told The Gleaner.
Sharing how the Sterling Awards has impacted the gospel fraternity in the nine years since it started, Barnaby-Cuffe said that “we plant, and God gives the increase”. She stated that she and her husband and their team have heard countless testimonies over the years and noticed real shifts in how people approach their work – there’s a stronger pursuit of excellence”.
“For us, the greatest joy is knowing that Sterling continues to serve as a platform for gospel creatives, whether through recognition, interviews, or networking, helping to push the message of the gospel even further,” Barnaby-Cuffe said.
Emcee for the evening was Mical Forsythe of NCU FM, and Bishop Basil Barnaby, father of the founder, flew in with his wife from the Cayman Islands and gave the opening prayer.