On Sunday, July 12, 2020, FCR Newspaper caught up with Minister Blessed. FCR: How are you and your precious family? MB: We are blessed and highly favoured. FCR:We praise God for that! Would you describe your music as bringing freedom and in what sense? Could it be likened to rain? In what regards? MB: There certainly are aspects of my music that is designed to bring freedom. One of my most recent songs speaks to breaking the chains of depression and asking God to 'Heal My Heart'. I have also sang reminding listeners that Christ came to set the captives free so we are indeed'Liberated', Therefore sin no longer has a hold on us. Songs like'Shake Off Your Problem'is about praising and dancing your troubles away, freeing your mind from the sorrow and just having fun. Similar to how theraincools you down after being in the hot sun,my music includes songs to calm your spirit when you may be feeling angry and ready to flare up or as Jamaicans would say 'when yuh head hot'. Like rain, some of my songs are intentionally seasonal so you may not necessarily need to play it every day but appreciate it when you are going through a particular phase in life. After a drought, people want the rain to come. Thirdly, in the same way that a downpour of water from the skies tends to wash and purify the land, so too my music is geared to eradicate evil and negative thoughts, thus purifying your hearts and minds with the undiluted Word of God. Finally, as some people would enjoy basking in the rain (some dance in it, some play in it); so too my music will have the element of just having fun and basking in God's presence. FCR: Excellent Minister Blessed! Your music is not just entertaining. It is a ministry. Tell us about your latest album and the songs on it? MB: My latest album is entitled 'Set Me Free' which is a testimony of how God has taken me from brokenness to wholeness and traded my sorrow for joy. It has twelve (12) tracks on it with a mixture of Gospel genres including afro-beat, calypso, dancehall, hip-hop and soca. Topics covered include reaping what you sow (Follow You), a call for repentance (Change Your Ways),a testimony of God's goodness (Set Me Free), a declaration of faith (Anything);claiming theVictory, a cry toLove Each Other; and asking Godto 'Heal Our Heart'and give us a'Clean Heart'. FCR: Indeed, you have an album that deserves to reach many. How has the current world situation affect how you carry out your launch? In other words, how does it affect your music ministry? MB: Thanks be to God my album was launched late 2019 so I was not impacted by the global pandemic that emerged in 2020. However, there definitely has been an impact on the ministry since then. For example, I have not been able to go to a studio for three (3) months due the lockdown. Certain LIVE events I would have usually been a part of have been cancelled or postponed until next year. However, there has also been a greater opportunity to engage with audiences online. Most recently, I was featured on a program called Hope Rocks on Love 101 where I was able to minister in song for 25 minutes via Facebook and Youtube LIVE as well as for the benefit of radio listeners so that was good. FCR: This is commendable Minister Blessed. Certainly, nothing has masked your worship. How important is praise and worship through music to the Body of Christ? MB: Psalm 147 says “Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.” Praise and Worship are essential as they help to encourage us in faith while giving thanks to God collectively. Sometimes a sermon or an exhortation may not necessarily resonate with you but you tend to remember that song that lifted your soul. I have received many testimonies about certain songs I did that literally saved people's lives from the brink of depression and suicide. Songs can be literally just be putting a melody to the words written in the Bible. You find that this helps the Body of Christ to reinforce her beliefs, build each other up and let God be glorified. As Colossians 3:16 says 'Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God' FCR: Oh, this is wonderful! Thank you for taking the time to share with Freedom Come Rain Newspaper. May your music ministry continue to be like healing rain to those who listen. Where can readers access your music to support your ministry? MB: My music can be accessed on all digital platforms including: Amazon -https://www.amazon.co.uk/Set-Me-Free-Minister-Blessed/dp/B07Z7VZL53 Itunes -https://music.apple.com/us/album/set-me-free/1482730144 Spotify -https://open.spotify.com/album/4LWRJUOABKxHJkTeGiHGDs Follow me on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter & Instagram @ministerblessed