Wayne Stoddart says Marion Hall collab boosted his career
Florida-based gospel artiste Wayne Stoddart is on cloud nine as ‘Jesus Junkie’, his collaboration with Minister Marion Hall, was voted Collaboration of the Year at the recent Sterling Gospel Awards.
Stoddart credited the win to the energy brought by the former queen of dancehall.
“I am a local artiste but I reside in Florida so it’s been a while since I have been awarded or rewarded in Jamaica by the reggae gospel fraternity. The Sterling Awards was a pleasant surprise, one I am grateful for because Wayne Stoddart hasn’t really had a big buzz in Jamaica for several years,” he shared. “Some of the persons who were in that category were top-notch artistes who are popular in the local industry, so you can just imagine how good it felt being called out as the winner. I think Marion’s presence on the track was really what aided the popularity though. She is a star talent who delivered everything exactly how she was supposed to for the song.”
Stoddart said that when Jesus Junkie was first released, it got huge backlash from listeners who felt the dancehall flavour was ‘too much’.
“I think it was a magical track between her and me. I think the delivery was perfect and with her being who she is, she executed to perfection. The controversy surrounding the track also gave it a big boost. People were talking about it and it just gave the song more and more exposure,” he said. “And I wouldn’t say people didn’t know who I was because I have been doing reggae gospel for over two decades, but this song kinda drew a newer, younger audience to me.”
Stoddart said that he wants to keep the momentum going with plenty of new music.
“We have Afro vibes coming as well as more hip hop-flavoured songs so the catalogue going forward is definitely going to be geared towards the modern audience,” he said. “We have a new album coming out in October called Freedom Plan. One of the singles on it is, of course, Jesus Junkie, so you have an idea of what is expected. It’s very diverse as we are not only tackling gospel issues but social issues as well.”