By Gibron Rahim
GOSPEL music is unique among the music genres. It combines powerful vocals with meaningful lyrics to create a sound that, besides being pleasant to listen to, praises the Creator and calls believers to worship. Among Guyana’s talented gospel musicians is singer/songwriter Christina Richardson. The artist is set to release her debut album Out of Zion on December 8.

Music has been a part of Christina’s life from an early age. This, as she explained when she sat down with the Pepperpot Magazine, came about because of her family’s ties to music. Her grandfather sang and played the guitar. Her father is a musician, as are her uncles. Her family would take her with them when they travelled as a band. She recalled that there are photographs of her onstage with her family as a baby, holding a microphone and singing. Of course, in the beginning, the words were more baby talk than lyrics. It was around the age of five that she truly began singing. Among her childhood recollections are making up and singing goodbye songs when she would leave the homes of her grandparents.

Christina carried her love of singing with her throughout her life. Her parents, both pastors, recognised her passion and she would sing in church and at concerts. It was last year though that Christina’s passion for singing turned toward becoming a career path. The catalyst was a collaborative album by Samuel Medas, one of Guyana’s current premier gospel artists. Medas invited Christina and other ‘rookie’ artists to be part of the effort. Each of them was given the opportunity to have a track on that album which was titled “The Reveal.” Christina’s track on the album – “Zion!” – was her first official recording.

After that, she began working at the recording studio full-time. She currently engineers, sings, writes and does backup vocals. Then around May this year, Christina spoke to the sound engineer who owns the studio about recording an album to which he gladly agreed.
The result of that effort is “Out of Zion” Christina’s debut album. “This album is called `Out of Zion’ because I believe it’s a love letter to the Church,” she explained. “I believe that it is the word of God to His people right now in this day, and age, and time.” The tracks contain instructions, corrections, assurances and promises from God. “Out of Zion is just the heart of God for His people right now,” said Christina. The album, she told the Pepperpot Magazine, is a call in many different aspects of a believer’s relationship with God.

The album is not only a reflection on the influence music has had on Christina, she noted that it is also majorly prophetic in nature. And while she will not market it as such, she is confident that listeners will be able to tune into the message as coming from God.
The tracks from the album that have been released so far, give an excellent taste of what to expect from Out of Zion. “Awake, awake, oh Zion!” Christina urges on the joyful “Zion!” The song is an upbeat call to worship. Earlier this year, she also released the gospel reggae track “Hill of The Lord” which she described as being groovy and cool. She noted that the song speaks about being in a particular place with God and ties in really well with the other tracks. “Keeper”, a third single was released a few weeks ago. Christina described it as being a toned down and quiet track. Regarding the message of “Keeper” she said, “You can be in the darkest of places and be going through some really deep stuff but, just to know that God is there with you, you don’t have to be afraid.”

Christina holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Guyana. Her degree allows her to be more expressive she noted. In an amused tone, she also explained the potential drawbacks of that in songwriting – her sound engineer and producer have told her that her music is often wordy. That though is just one downside. “The upside to it is that I get to say things in ways that people might not think about,” she explained. She strongly believes that the more artists, regardless of their medium, extend their horizons and borders in terms of material and content, the better their chances are for expression and production. “You don’t limit yourself to what you’re accustomed to,” she declared.

Her degree prevents Christina from being one-tracked in her musical expression and style. This helps her to write lyrics for different genres of music. “Out of Zion” has reggae and EDM influenced tracks. She can work with classical or contemporary music. And being a writer, she noted, is itself a great asset in the music industry. Christina writes her own lyrics. She wrote all of the tracks on “Out of Zion.” Moreover, being a songwriter enables her to pen songs for other artists. This creates another avenue of revenue and as Christina noted, “You never want to think that your dream is separate from making money.” The two can tie into each other. And Christina strongly advocates for education. “If you really want to focus on writing anything, not just music, get an English degree and step it up,” she said. She herself would have gone after her master’s degree if it was being offered.

While Christina does not play any instruments, that fact is not as disadvantageous as it may first appear. Her producer Samuel Medas has really helped her to shape her tracks. And she has been able to work with many people including Yonnick Adolf, Jeremy Van Tull and Jeremy Sobers. Not playing an instrument allows her music to be richer. She explained, “When you pull other people in you get a variety of sound and it becomes great.”

Working on “Out of Zion” has taught Christina some valuable wisdom. When she first saw the finished music video for “Keeper” the first thing that came to her mind was, “Never let anybody tell you that achieving the things you’ve always dreamed of is impossible.” Digression is not always a bad thing she said. Christina is a firm believer in holding fast to dreams. “As long as you know who you are people can’t shake you out of your place,” she affirmed. She has also learned to let God be in control of directing her path. Christina used to have a life plan – do exceptionally well at UG, get her degree, become a teacher and then later move on to the Ministry of Education and make some real changes.

Finding herself in front of a mixer engineering never factored in and yet there she was. She noted that the scriptures say that many are the plans of a man’s heart but it is the Lord who directs our paths. She is glad to have let God take control. To listeners, Christina’s words are, “Know yourself and know who you are in God because He is a promise keeper.”
Christina Richardson’s album “Out of Zion” launches on December 8 in Williamsburg, Berbice.