Perry InChrist rooted in his quest to lead

Driven by a passion of "purpose" to creatively drive the word of God into the hearts of youth, gospel-dancehall artiste Perry InChrist is leading by example.

Raised by both parents while being guided to walk the straight and narrow by his strict grandmother, the artiste, given name Perry Cummings, said it was inevitable for him to walk the path of righteousness.

"Church was always right in front a mi [yard], suh mi always affi jump di fence and guh church. Suh it was very easy going to church. I didn't really get to go out much because my family kinda sheltered me a lot. Suh it was really just church, or mi guh shop guh buy two pounds a rice and come back inna di yard; but it was good," he told THE STAR.

"I was brought up in an old-time Pentecostal Church. I had to go to church every Sunday, [where] I got involved in preaching [and] the children's choir, suh it would be very amiss of me to go in music and guh sing 'bout choppa and gun," he added.

The Christian Walk singer shared that even his stage name was inspired by the Bible.

"It was taken from 2 Corinthians 2:17 that says 'For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ'. So I [interpreted] it to say it's not about Perry, but about Perry being associated with Christ and knowing I was brought up in church. So I have that influence on my life, and it should reflect through my music and my day-to-day operation," he said.

Perry InChrist was recently elected guild president of The University of the West Indies, Mona, on June 1 and admits it's not an easy role.

"I now have to oversee the guild of students, which is over 20,000 students at the university campus; so it's a big deal. I sit on all the major committees, where I speak with all the [university heads] and this is because we need a student voice at the highest level possible, [so that] they will not be left out when decisions are being made. It's a role I don't take lightly," he shared. Perry InChrist is completing his final year, majoring in political science. He added that this 'presidential' role is an extension of his purpose.

"I saw the opportunity to bring my own ideas to fruition, because sometimes we get caught up in being on the outside of things and criticising what is happening, instead of trying to be in the room [or] in the position to bring the change. So I saw the opportunity to bring forth a particular change on campus," he stated. Perry InChrist said he also uses his other roles as an MC, social media influencer and actor to merge his creative energy, which flows effortlessly when penning his lyrics. He believes that all these fields allow him "to reach more souls".

Perry InChrist, whose music career started more than three years ago, has created a major wave on social media with his most viral track, Bwoy Affi Remix, an adaptation from 1 Biggs Don's breakout single, Bwoii Affi.

"The idea was to attract a particular crowd a people, so I mixed it to capture a young audience fi mek dem know seh, 'Listen, it's not the beat, it's the message behind it.' The traditional Christians never liked the idea at first about remixing a viral dancehall song, but after a time, people tek time start to warm up to it, and they started to want more of that sound of gospel music as well," he said. The 2022 single has amassed millions of views, likes and shares on TikTok and YouTube.

"I want my music to reach places that the average gospel music would not reach. Sometimes as gospel artistes, we put ourselves in a box, and because of the limitations, we limit how many persons we can reach," he said. While admitting that his journey is a testimony of "failures and achievements", he implores everyone to "find their purpose".