This interview with our cover guest: an Award winning Singer/ Songwriter was arranged by Seyi Adebowale. Thanks to Keith Kirk for the fantastic job done in editing the original interview write-up.
This interview with our cover guest: an Award winning Singer/ Songwriter was arranged by Seyi Adebowale. Thanks to Keith Kirk for the fantastic job done in editing the original interview write-up.
I was brought up in a church called Calvary Church of God in Christ (COGIC) in North London. It was the UK Headquarters for the organisation is present in over 100 nations. The organisation birthed gospel greats such as Andre Crouch, Clark Sisters, Hawkins Family, the Winans, and many others who started with COGIC like Kim Burrell, Tina and Erica Campbell (Mary, Mary), Tamela Mann, Kurt Carr and Ernest Pugh. So I was brought up in that church environment and the US gospel artists would come to our church all the time. Growing up, my sisters toured with a lot of US Gospel artists because they were part of COGIC Mass Choir, I was this little kid coming to their rehearsals. I was surrounded by great musicians/producers/music directors that were in my church like Nicky Brown (Chaka Khan Mica Paris, Craig David, Earth Wind and Fire, Paulo Nutini) and Freddy Thompson (Westlife, Heather Small People). Lavinia Hudson (Intervention) the first UK Gospel singer to be signed to a major label, Virgin, was someone I looked up to and she was in another COGIC church with the highly talented Hudson Family. We sang live every week as we do in church and it was proper singing, we would be ‘sanging’ loool.
My family moved to a new church and I was singing in the praise and worship team. I formed a duo, called ‘Redeemed’ with Marie Carter (now Reid) we ended up being support artists for Kirk Franklin when he first came to the Royal Festival Hall and Birmingham Symphony Hall in 1996. I travelled to Youngstown, Ohio as part of a UK delegation for the Pentecost in Perspective (PiP) Conference led by the Late Bishop Wagner. I ended up singing backing vocals for Donnie McClurkin. The musicians would ask me, “Lurine, would you like to do some backing singing for some artistes?” In the early days, I sang backing vocals for Kim Burrell, Kurt Car & the Kurt Carr Singers, Lyndon David Hall, Texas & Billie Piper to name a few.
The challenge so far is to stay focused – God revealed to me my life’s purpose as a gospel artist. The fact is, you will be tried and tested and go through trials, it can be difficult and you even wonder ‘what is happening?’ I’m supposed to sing to nations and trust in God, however, no one tells you that there may be some people who might not like you in this industry but in contrast there are always people that can relate to what you sing, what you say and that is very encouraging. I think that the only challenge is to stay focused. I would say even when others don’t feel like you’re good enough or where you feel weak, that’s where you have to pull from God to get His strength because when you are weak, He is strong and we have to pull from Him to keep going.
Wow! That’s a good question, you know sometimes for me, I don’t even realise when something is successful.
Everyone has their view on what success means or looks like, some people see success as how many songs you’ve written; how many people bought your material, your music, how many people turn up at your concert, how popular you are etc. As a single mum you’ve got challenges with that as you can’t be everywhere and so there’s those challenges but what lifts me up is when people say I heard your testimony or one of your songs pulled me through difficult situations – just those things. There’ve been times I’ve said to my manager, I’m not interested in doing this anymore, it’s too much – the call is too much, I can’t take it, however, just hearing someone’s testimony of how my song has lifted them out of the pit is very encouraging. My testimony has prevented people from committing suicide – I get the emails and phone calls and people stopping and telling me to talk to me about how my music and ministry has helped them in some way. So success to me is hearing the positive change my songs have made in people’s lives and that lifts me and encourages me to continue in the purpose that God has given me.
trials, it can be difficult and you even wonder ‘what is happening?’ I’m supposed to sing to nations and trust in God, however, no one tells you that there may be some people who might not like you in this industry but in contrast there are always people that can relate to what you sing, what you say and that is very encouraging. I think that the only challenge is to stay focused. I would say even when others don’t feel like you’re good enough or where you feel weak, that’s where you have to pull from God to get His strength because when you are weak, He is strong and we have to pull from Him to keep going.
Wow! That’s a good question, you know sometimes for me, I don’t even realise when something is successful. Everyone has their view on what success means or looks like, some people see success as how many songs you’ve written; how many people bought your material, your music, how many people turn up at your concert, how popular you are etc. As a single mum you’ve got challenges with that as you can’t be everywhere and so there’s those challenges but what lifts me up is when people say I heard your testimony or one of your songs pulled me through difficult situations – just those things. There’ve been times I’ve said to my manager, I’m not interested in doing this anymore, it’s too much – the call is too much, I can’t take it, however, just hearing someone’s testimony of how my song has lifted them out of the pit is very encouraging. My testimony has prevented people from committing suicide – I get the emails and phone calls and people stopping and telling me to talk to me about how my music and ministry has helped them in some way. So success to me is hearing the positive change my songs have made in people’s lives and that lifts me and encourages me to continue in the purpose that God has given me.
I like these questions because my mental health suffered from a young age and I’ve been very depressed before I was abused for many years, which led me down a spiral into abusive relationships where I was raped and beaten. It took me a while to learn to value myself. So I went through years of restoration and preparation for ministry – I didn’t know I would be preparing for ministry – I just knew that I needed to be healed because I was so broken. It took five years for me to be completely restored. I’ve never been depressed to that extent since then, like that was so deep. God pulled me out and I also had eleven months of counselling and there was a lot of breaking and moulding and shaking and shaping in my life.
I had a massive detox of what I’ve been through because I’ve had many years of abuse. Now, when I go through stuff, I always make sure that I speak to those that are close to me and understand me and those who have been with me through this journey. I always believe that you need people to off-load on, people that you trust, but I’ve mostly learned to trust my relationship with God. He taught me to build a relationship with Him and take it one day at a time. People feel that you’ve got to give God 100 per cent or to give a 100 per cent to be right. However, if you were 100 per cent all the time, you wouldn’t need anyone, you wouldn’t need God. He just works with your one per cent and eventually you will see the benefits of taking one day as it comes. So mentally, I’ve been in training so that when I do feel down, I’ll never get as down as I was before because I know that my relationship with God as well being able to off-load on people that I trust, helps me on a day-to-day basis.
This is a question I get all the time. I would like to think that we can support one another, we can be united and not see each other as competition, that’s in the perfect world. Some people are going to feel like they need to be the only gospel an artist in the village (laughing) but it’s not like that. We should be united and support one another and I believe that if people can see it as purely a ministry, aiming to save the world because that’s what we’re here to do in the times we are living in, even now more than ever before. Research on Google showed that searches for Jesus Christ had risen more significantly. There was a recent poll on Instagram where they asked their followers if the preferred gospel or R&B? 74% said, gospel. That tells me people are searching for gospel and I think instead of in-fighting for positions, we need to aim for the souls. That’s why we’re here, He said go into the world and preach the gospel. He’s given us creativity and the sound of music, which was born, in heaven to do this. If we just allow God to use us, study our craft and study the business, we will reap the rewards.
My advice for upcoming artists is when you’re writing your songs and working on your material, don’t just ask your friends and your close community for their opinion on your songs. Send your music to those who are prominent in the industry and those who you look up to, people who have an opinion about gospel music in all its forms and music in general. Gospel artists like Sarah Teibo contacted me through social media. She said, could you listen to my song Steal My Joy? I thought, ok let me hear it, I did not expect it to sound so amazing. I thought it was produced in America. It was so amazing, I started to shout about her (laughs) before anyone knew her and I was so proud of it. The song was so great and my concern was to make sure the video expressed visually the emotion of the song. She’s done extremely well.
So, I think I would say to a lot of artists coming up to get honest opinions and feedback from people who have been successful in the industry – but not just the song but with everything because you can have a great photo but terrible music. You could have great songs but the production is wack, you know, and so on – honest opinions count. Read Roy Francis’ book ‘How to make Gospel Work for you?’, it’s a great foundation. Do not come out early with a track, wait, learn, and then seek opinions from others. I think when we start working in that way, we will have a better industry. It’s also a good idea to connect with collaborative organisations like the Gospel Music Industry Alliance (GMIA), aStepFwd, PRS for Music and PPL are organisations that help you on your way and get you connected. Not forgetting to reach out to radio stations like Premier Gospel, UGN Jamz, Affinity Xtra, UCB and Behind the Groove and so much more. When you speak to other artists and genuine people who want to see you succeed, be ready to take valuable criticism if you get an honest answer that you did not expect. Music can be streamed on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music, however, just get some additional advice about how these platforms work – it doesn’t always mean an extra cost, but could save you time, effort and disappointment.
“Do not come out early with a track, wait, learn, and then seek opinions from others”
I wanted to uplift artists that lost work through cancelled concerts and events during the COVID pandemic so I thought it would be great to collaborate with some gospel and industry artists to record a song of hope to encourage the nation during the trying period of isolation and lockdown on that beautiful hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness. We simply used our mobile phones and Kenton Reid edited the video and played the music and it was released on YouTube in March. Marcia Dixon worked on the PR and next thing we knew the BBC Radio stations wanted an interview and played the track. That then spurred me onto another project and this time I wanted a song to raise funds for the Cavell Nurses Trust. When I heard the story of Edith Cavell who saved soldiers on both sides of the War and was wrongly shot to death for treason in WW1, I was moved. After hearing that story I felt very strongly that we had to support the Cavell Nurses Trust. They support nurses, midwives and healthcare workers and those who have retired and are experiencing financial hardship, disability and domestic violence.
We recorded Amazing Grace (He looked Beyond My Faults), the version written by Dottie Rambo through another collaboration of established and up and coming gospel artists. It was very emotional, we raised money on a Just Giving website and it was highlighted on ITV News. It wasn’t just the willingness of the artists, but musicians and producers – the level of support was overwhelming. The last project I did during lockdown – I thought I needed to focus on the kids. Some were so active before lockdown and now they were at home for longer than they cared to be. The children were excited and I had some very young talented children, professional performers as well as some first-timers. It was hard work and a lot of fun at the same time. The track is called Alright! All of these tracks are on YouTube and you can check out all the names of everyone involved. Without the support and willingness of everyone involved these projects would not have come to fruition. That’s what I love, when we can all work together!
Thank you so much for your time, Lurine.
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