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  Saturday 5th December 2009: the first-ever
  'Gospel Music Awards' in London.

  Held at the rather glamorous Hilton London
  Metropole, it aimed to celebrate and recognise
  the achievement of quite arguably, the most
  exciting era of UK Gospel of recent years.

  The ceremony was laced with a variety of live performances, and awards were presented to those who had won the public vote.

Curious
For months I'd been extremely curious about how the newly-birthed Gospel Music Awards would pan out, and I was certainly not alone. Although it is not strictly the first awards ceremony celebrating UK Gospel (some may remember the Oasis Music Awards, the last of which took place in 2006).

Even non-attendees were demanding updates as to how the awards were unravelling, and during the event they were provided with an abundance of tweets.
 
Sure start
The awards were hosted by comedian and individual extraordinaire, Simply Andy – who may possibly be one of the funniest Christian comedians in the UK. Kicked off by UK Gospel grime veteran L'Dubzy, it was off to a sure start (up until the power cut during Inkrease’s performance).
 
Sound glitches and time delays aside, the concert continued with some of the best UK Gospel artists around and included performances from New Direction, Serene, Triple O, Jay Ess, Presha J and T.P.
 
Highlights
Although I’ve mentioned mostly male acts (where are all my ladies at?), my personal highlights certainly came mostly from the female camp.

Blush UK, who won Best Group on the night, offered a refreshing rendition of their new single 'Beautiful'. Michaela the Poet, lyrically blasted the audience away with 'Coffee in the Morning', and Rachel Kerr...was Rachel Kerr, and by that I mean absolutely mind blowing, both vocally and visually.

She stormed the stage with her set, and I couldn’t help but notice her uncanny resemblance to a Beyonce Knowles. She is definitely one to watch for 2010.
 
Absolute Favourite
However, I must admit my absolute, absolute favourite moment of the night however was - hands down - 'Champion' by Commission. It was beautiful to witness a sea of “fists in the sky”, as the audience agreed that they too were champions through Christ.

Other notable performances came from DTWG, Adelaide Mackenzie, Romell, and brief co-host GP.
 
Awards
The awards ceremony itself followed the concert. The list of winners were:
 Best group – Blush UKBest female – Michaela the PoetBest male – Sonnie Badu (main picture above)Best newcomer – VictizzleBest Hip Hop - JahazielBest international artist – Kirk FranklinBest reggae/dancehall – WatchmanBest contribution to Gospel Music UK – MuyiwaBest Gospel Radio Show - MuyiwaBest Gospel Artist 2009 – Guvna B
 
Success
Overall, the night was a success, especially as it was the first one. It was especially nice to see most of the movers and shakers of the UK Gospel Scene together, booted and suited in their Sunday Best (on a Saturday), and I think it was a promising start to a potentially long running scheme.
Good bits: Performances were great, and it was held at a beautiful location.
Bad bits: I would have liked to have seen more women represented on the night, but perhaps the void was a reflection on the current scene.
Ugly bits: There was a huge delay before the awards started aka Timing of Black Origin (TOBOs).

Good attempt
It was a great attempt to unite and celebrate everyone in the UK Gospel scene; nevertheless it does not go unprecedented (the aforementioned Oasis Awards being a prime example).

I am all for democracy. However, if you are going to celebrate the achievement of gospel artists in the UK, a public vote may not be the most ideal route, as it ends up being a popularity contest potentially bypassing otherwise deserving individuals.

London-centric...
Finally, the event's London-centricity could not be ignored, as it failed to recognise those outside of the capital (such as Manchester's Ni-Cola and the significant contributions of Birmingham's Roger Moore) to accurately represent the whole of the UK.

The longevity of the Gospel Music Awards really depends on whether the scene itself is ready to support, accept and embrace the initiative in a way that is sustainable.

On a side note: next year I’d like jollof rice on the menu please... Thanks.

Faith Jegede

Inspirational | Soulful | Jazz | African

Facebook | Website | Reverbnation | YouTube 

Yinka Awojobi

Founder, UKG/ UKGospel.com group of sites. 

I really didn't want my picture here, but I'm bowing to pressure.

George Luke

Freelance journalist, all-round nice guy.

Has a weird obsession with international gospel music.

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