By Cecelia Campbell Livingston
It has been over 10 years since Karen Chin walked away from the dancehall genre of music and gave her life to the Lord. As an artiste in the dancehall, she performed under the moniker ‘Sasha’, Today, as a Christian songbird, she now performs as Sista Sasha.
It has not been an easy walk, and there were days when Sista Sasha had to hug her faith tightly as she chose to walk away from the dancehall at the height of her career when the going was good financially.
Acknowledging that the monetary gain was extremely high in the secular world, she described her new journey as one of sacrifice, stating that if you truly love the Lord, you will be able to sacrifice even the last dollar that you need to live and get by.
“Guess what? God tells me that tomorrow will provide for itself, and I am only supposed to think about today. So right now, knowing that everything about God is greater; everything about God is more, I don’t have any regrets; my only regret is that I didn’t find him sooner,” she explained.
Standing firm in her resolve, Sista Sasha declared she would not allow money to be the head of her life, so there wouldn’t be any complaints coming from her. Stating that God supplies all her needs, she notes that if any stress comes along, it is her wants, as God has never been slack with his promises. “So I am good.” she affirmed.
“I have embraced the presence of God after over a decade of challenges of failing Him, standing up, fighting back, and holding on to God’s unchanging hand. It’s been over a decade of temptations, tribulations, and all of these things,” she shared with Freedom Come Rain.
Sista Sasha said it has become easier to keep her focus, and each day she experiences new growth. She said life is all about God’s unlimited love and compassion towards her as well as the mercy that He has bestowed upon her.
“The fact that He’s never let me go, even when I failed him, even when I turned my back, God has never let me go. That just gives me superhuman strength to fight and hold on. Can you imagine, you running and all yuh a run, you just a buck up inna God, suh because Him decide to sey him nah let you go…what a mighty God I serve!” she declared.
Currently, Sista Sasha is working on her latest album entitled 70 x 7, the inspiration for which came from her own life and observing the challenges that others go through on a daily basis.
“Most of my songs are based on real-life events and situations, and just knowing the type of God that I serve and the many times I failed him, He still puts his grace on me. That is why I am calling the album “70 x 7 because of the multiple times I failed him and He still never let me go,” she said.
Looking ahead, Sista Sasha said she just wants to work on her spiritual life as she seeks to build it back to a level where she can be totally confident of her position in Christ.
“I am building my spiritual life so that I can go out there boldly by the byways and hedges to share this good news because, as children of God, we have a responsibility to be an example and a light. So I have to make sure that every piece of me is clean inside out. I have to make sure that I set an example. I have to work on myself in every area so I can walk into my purpose for God to use me like an instrument and to speak into the lives of so many others who desire to follow this man, Jesus Christ,” were her impassioned words.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Sista Sasha relocated to New York at age five. She started off singing in church before becoming involved in dancehall. Since walking away from dancehall music in 2008, she has recorded songs such as Jesus A Di Don, Chosen, Let This Cup Pass, and Nuh Trouble Me.