‘Saved by grace’ finalist creates history at Gospel Star competition

It's definitely a case of third time's a charm for the 2023 Jamaica Gospel Star, Oral Lawson, who, in addition to copping the title on Wednesday at the National Arena, also set a record as the first 'saved by grace' finalist to win the competition.

An overjoyed Lawson told THE WEEKEND STAR that he entered the competition as one half of a duo years before it was rebranded in 2021. They had moderate success, making it to the second round, but the finals eluded them. Last year, the mathematics teacher at Marcus Garvey Technical High School in St Ann threw his hat in the ring again.

"Auditioning is done via video. The adjudicators looked at the video and last year all I got was a 'thank you' note. This year, I went on my YouTube channel and pulled down a video and sent it in. It wasn't even the best video because there was some talking in the background, but the judges saw something ... ministry, talent ... and I got a call," shared Lawson.

But his journey to claiming the trophy and the $1 million prize money teetered on the verge of him being thrown out completely of the competition.

"There were three live shows ... the first featured all 10 contestants and then the judges started eliminating. So, in the second week, three persons were eliminated ... I was the seventh person to make it through. Then the following week three more persons went home. I tried hard and hunted votes, but I didn't make it in the top four. However, there is a particular gift 'saved by grace'," he said. "All six of us who were eliminated would be in one pot and from that six I was selected. So tonight I made history as the first 'saved by grace' contestant to win the Jamaica Gospel Star and that just says to me that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ever ask or think."

The 32-year-old married father of one -- with another on the way -- shared that his mission is to spread the gospel to "Not only inside the four walls but also those persons on the street corner".

"When dem hear the music, it supposed to hit them and they are supposed to feel like they must make a move to go for the change," he said.

Describing himself as a gospel artiste whose voiced is tuned with versatility, Lawson has the traditional form on point and thrilled with his rendition of When the Storm Passes By, but assured that he can easily go uptempo, while maintaining the integrity of the message.

"This year I did a project called Soldiers for Christ and I went for Afrobeats. On that Afrobeats, everything sounded so clear ... it's still filled with lyrics ... it's not a traditional sound, but the message holds up same way. For me, shouting is not a way to deliver. I don't really do shouting."

Lawson, who grew up in Marverly, St Andrew, but now lives in Salem, St Ann, intends to invest some of his winnings into his career.