Samantha Gardner not losing her praise

Gospel singer Samantha Gardner has summed up the pain of her broken marriage in the track Down In My Valley, which was released in January.

Gardner said the song was written when she was in a dark place, trying to pick up the pieces to her life.

"This song is a testimony about my broken marriage and the pain that comes along with it. It speaks on broken relationships with even others close to me. Sometimes God has to break our hearts to save our souls, but even in the midst of my adversity, I never lost my praise. As I went through my situation, I just learned to praise my way through it. If you have never gone through a test, you cannot have a testimony, and this is one of mine. So I put my pain and praise into song," she said.

Gardner said that she is hoping that the song will inspire other persons who are overcoming a challenging period.

"I want them to know that they are not alone and their pain is not the end of the world as the sun will shine on them brightly again," she said. The mother of two said as she moves on with her life, she is focused on her children and gospel ministry.

"I am doing a lot of promotion on this track as well as my album called Unda Di Blood. The focus now is taking care of my children and just doing God's work. As adults, we have all got our cross to carry, and trust me, I have carried my fair share which includes surviving a gunshot wound to my head which doctors thought would have crippled me. There is a lot to give praise for and all of this will be highlighted in my music ministry," she said.

Although a devoted Christian, Gardner is not shy about expressing herself in ways that some churchgoers may find a bit controversial.

"I never shy away from certain topics, including sex. I am a different type of Christian and I express myself different from those 'religious' ones. I live my life to please God and not people, so you will see me addressing things that are not 'churchly'," she said.

The Clarendon-born singer, who hails from Crawle River district, became passionate about singing while attending a Baptist church in the community. She currently calls the US home.