big winner at the 2025 Sterling Gospel Music Awards. The 9th staging of the event took place last Saturday evening at Emmanuel Apostolic Church in Portmore, St Catherine. Downswell’s wins were Local Hit Producer of the Year, Local Hit of the Year, and Video of the Year.

Genesis Praise Squad took home the Breakout Sensation of the Year and Group of the Year honours, while an absent Chevelle Franklin won for Album of the Year (South Wind Vol 1) and Female Artiste of the Year. Johnmark Wiggan, who went into the awards with a staggering eight nominations, shared the Collaboration of the Year award for Nuh More Dan Wi, a song he did with Prince Saj.

Prince Saj also won the award for Male Artiste of the Year. His near-tearful acceptance speech chronicled his humble and challenging beginnings. “Dem say mi have a lot of lyrics, but right now mi have none. First of all, let me thank Christ. I’m coming from a place of homelessness, a place of abandonment and abuse in every way you can think of. I’ve been sending myself to school from I was 13 years old and it was rough. My mom, big har up, because we are building back our relationship”, said Prince Saj, who also indicated that his mother became a born again Christian after she learnt that he had given his life to Christ.

He also spoke about the deteriorated relationship he had with his father and how they managed to mend things before he passed away. “I struggled to trust people when I came into the gospel music fraternity, but I met lovely brothers in Christ, like Johnmark Wiggan. Thank you all for supporting every one of us. We are not praying to win awards, but it’s good to win awards,” he said to rousing applause from the audience. (Jamaica Observer/ mariajackson27magazine)