LOCAL Psalmist, and former Mashramani Soca Monarch, Samuel Medas, is at it again with his
award-winning style, clinching 14 nominations in the 2022 Caribbean Gospel Music Marlin
Award, which will be held on July 3 at the Myles E. Munroe Diplomat Centre in The Bahamas.

Medas is the third highest nominee, following behind Trinbagonian singer/songwriter, Joel
“Positive” Murray, who has 18 nominations, and Sherwin Gardner with 15.

Over 40 categories are listed for awards. The award nominations were announced in April during
a live broadcast on the awarding body’s social media accounts.

“I found out the next morning when I woke up and watched the Facebook announcement and
tallied it up.

“I was surprised at being the third highest nominee. But the amount of nominations you receive
is dependent on the diversity of your music, and I’d (sic) be dipping my feet in different genres
over the past years,” Medas shared in a recent interview with The Buzz.

The categories Medas has been nominated in span numerous genres including Reggae, Soca, Hip
Hop, Christian Contemporary, Calypso, and another called, DJ Collaboration.

“It’s always a learning process when approaching other genres. Some of my records are
collaborations with other regional artists that are versed in a particular genre. So, I’m never too
lost. But I take my time and learn the ins and outs of making any genre of music,” the 33-year-
old musician shared.

Of the 14 nominations, four are related to his hit single “Stadium”, which was his winning entry
in the 2021 Mashramani Soca Monarch competition.

“Stadium” has been nominated for “Outstanding Soca Performance”, “Outstanding Calypso Soca
Vocal Performance (Male)”, “Outstanding Music Video, and “Outstanding Song”.

His single “Cyah Wait”, featuring Jaron Nurse, received nominations in the “Outstanding
Calypso Soca Vocal Performance Duo” and “Outstanding Calypso Recording” categories.

Other popular songs which have landed Medas nominations include his big hit “Royalty”,
nominated for “Outstanding Reggae Vocal Performance (Male)”; “Move”, nominated for
“Outstanding Dance Recording”; and “Can’t Be the Only One” which has been nominated for
“Outstanding Reggae Recording”.

Medas’ other nominations include “Outstanding DJ Collaboration” for his song “Jah Arise”
which features DJ Nicholas, “Outstanding Reggae Hip Hop Recording” for his song “Harder
than Before” featuring Dwayne Fiyah, “Outstanding Reggae Duo” for “Be Alright” featuring
Neesha Woods, and “Outstanding Contemporary Vocal Performance” for “Secret Place”
featuring Christina Richardson.

His album “Ready” has been nominated for “Outstanding Album”.

This will be Medas’s second set of nominations for the prestigious regional awards. His first
nomination was in 2017, when he landed in seven categories and won the “New Artiste of the
Year” award.

The gospel singer has come quite a far way since then with the release of three new albums, and
is looking to branch off into various genres, all the while staying true to his gospel roots.

Medas has also built up his awards collection, winning “Regional Artiste of the Year” twice at
the Gospel Music Awards of Trinidad and Tobago in 2018, and 2019.

He also won “Regional Artist of the Year” at the Sterling Gospel Music Awards in Jamaica in
2019.
In 202, he wrestled the Mashramani Soca Monarch crown in a grand performance. He returned
to the competition earlier this year and finished third.

This year alone has been quite a busy one for Medas, who dropped his latest album “Nations of
Worshippers” in January this year.

His Caribbean tour included performances at the “Praise Fest” in Grenada, the “Our God is
Champion Concert” in Antigua, and other stops in Trinidad and Tobago, St Kitts and Nevis, and
in New York, and Texas in the United States (U.S.A).

Medas would’ve also been among the creative greats who represented Guyana at the World Expo
2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the Guyanese contingent were well-praised
for its performances.

Medas has also done a number of packed out local shows, and has been busy building his brand,
signing marketing deals with Fruta and Digicel, and promoting his own line of branded hoodies.