Zina, warrior in God’s army

Looking at this petite woman, you wouldn’t be able to tell that she has such a powerful voice. But she does, and it’s taking Gina Edwards places in the world of contemporary gospel music.{{more}}

Contemporary gospel music is described as R&B gospel. So, yet another Vincentian is about to prove that as an artiste, locals can make it on the international entertainment scene. Edwards, currently making huge strides on the music scene in Canada, is originally from Sharpesdale.

She is a past student of local schools, the Lodge Village Government School, the Intermediate High School (IHS) and the St. Vincent Technical College.

Her success is not only based on the fact that her current compilation is sold out, but on her winning the Maja Awards in Montreal and placing second runner-up in the same awards in Toronto. The Maja Awards is described as the home of Canada’s National Gospel Song Competition, and Edwards faced over 100 other artistes during preliminaries to eventually take the top spot in Montreal and then third in Toronto.

Fitzroy Gordon, founder of the Maja Awards, said on the awards’ website that the awards were created, “to inspire aspiring Canadian Gospel Artists to write and produce their own music”.

It can safely be said that Edwards has touched on a music genre that is growing in Canada.

In proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ through Gospel music, Edwards currently has a CD compilation called “I heard a call (demo)”. It has five tracks, which were arranged by Edward’s brother Kilvorn. The songs are “Hunger for Holiness”, “I Know Who I Am”, “I Heard A Call”, “In Your Presence” and “I Don’t Know About Tomorrow”. Alphonso “Sleepy” Richards penned a number of the songs on this latest release.

Edwards says she soon hopes to release another album in the spring. This one, she promises, will have about 10 tracks. She also hopes to launch this album in her homeland of St. Vincent.

Edwards, who is the third girl in a family of six siblings, bases her success on inspiration she says comes from her parents Barbara and Elmore Edwards. Employed at the bank of Nova Scotia in Montreal, she has performed in places like Ottawa, the Bronx, Philadelphia and Delaware with a band called the Montreal Gospel Herald.

Zina has a daughter Acailah, seven, whom she says is following in her footsteps. The dedicated Christian doesn’t waste time when not singing. Much of her time is consumed teaching Sunday school and schooling a youth choir, while she also serves as a worship leader. She attends the Jam vocal school and hopes one day to teach vocals as she says the skill, “is already in me”.

Performing at the local Nine Mornings festival last Monday morning, Zina acknowledges the festival as being very good and clean. She says, in her opinion, the festival has come a long way. She thinks Nine Mornings is a good idea as foreigners can look forward to it.

So like her namesake, television’s “Zena The Warrior Princess”, this Zina is truly a warrior in God’s army.