K-Anthony, 2024 JUNO Award Winner, Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year

you are tuned in to Faith City Outreach with Marina Maria the founder of global gospel worship radio Marina interviews local pastors and global leaders sharing their testimonies in the work they're doing for the Lord in Matthew 6:33 Jesus reminds us seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well we hope this program will encourage you to do just that now here's your host Marina Maria welcome to Faith City Outreach this is Marina Maria with today's special guest Kate Anthony who won the contemporary Christian gospel album of the year at the 2024 Juno Awards in Canada Kate Anthony grew up in falal Jamaica and he describes his music as Urban contemporary Christian contemporary sound he says that the Lord has been his constant companion source of strength and his ultimate inspiration in his music thank you so much Anthony for being on faith City Outreach today to share your testimony and to share about your musical Journey with the Lord thank you thank you for having me you're very welcome in these few days I've been really listening to a lot of your songs and I'm uh looking forward to hearing a little bit more about or let's just say a lot more about your musical Journey but first and foremost I know that you are a Jamaican native and you grew up yes and you grew up with a brother and and your parents in a quiet picturistic Seaside town in Jamaica how different is the lifestyle of Jamaica compared to Canada or USA depending on where you live now which I believe you live in Canada from what I've read so I'm currently Canada yes I'm currently in Michigan uh for grad school so growing up growing up in Jamaica it's the difference is one I'm close to the beach and um Jamaicans tend to be chill and easy going and so that would be the difference although in Sashu and Canada there is a chill vibe to it also except it's very cold okay and is there also a growing Christian population in Jamaica the Christian population in Jamaica is very large to be exact yes and um for example the church I'm affiliated with the 7day Adventist Church it is the largest denomination there and overall Christianity is well accepted and is the main religion outside of rasism wow that is something so new that I did not know and I'm so glad that you share that in your biography you mentioned that the Lord has been your constant companion and your ultimate inspiration in your musical Journey please share your Jesus story and when the Lord call you to be a worship singer for him so my my moment I would say would be you know as as young adults or young persons you would tend to be covered under your parents so my first encounter with God God would be when I was 12 years old when I almost drowned so I disobeyed my parents and I had gone to the beach cuz my school was located pretty much close to the beach and I fell in difficulty and I realized that I was about to drown and the only thing I could remember was that the pastor previously the week before in his sermon had said if you're ever in trouble you can call on God and so in that moment I tested God for myself I said God if you but save me I will give you my heart and out of the blue an individual started calling out my name and said hey don't give up I'm coming to save you but I didn't I didn't just see him as the person who saved me I in my mind God brought him there to save me and so some time after I decided to commit myself to him wow that's amazing and did you ever meet that person again afterwards actually I know that person for some time I don't know where he is on the face of the Earth but growing up I knew exactly where he he lived because he was a classmate of mine but he wasn't present in the vicinity at the time and so I felt like God impressed on his mind to take a walk down by the beach and he was the only friend that was willing to come into the water and save does he know how of an impact he made and does he know that God sent him and that you are now a worship singer for the Lord I've searched for him I've heard where he's living but I've never gotten the chance to talk to him since we have gotten older and I hope that somehow he will know how much it means to me what he he had done for me and allow God to do through him and um it's a blessing and I pray that his life is a blessing right now hey Anthony in your biography you described your musical Journey as a roller coaster ride please share a recent example when the Lord strengthened you during a time of of struggle so living in Sashu and when moving from Jamaica where it's sunny and warm to move into SAS cashew and where the temperature can get to-4 4 is um that affected me in a big way at first I was very depressed and so during those moment it was hard to write um but it was during that time I wrote a song titled don't give up it was really a song from God to myself and not and wasn't necessarily for for for someone else it was pointing to the fact that your time might feel gloomy but know that the sun will shine again and it doesn't matter what you're going through it won't last and so that point in time was a big play a played a big part in my life and my journey because it was during that time I decided to look at the glass as not half empty but half full and knowing that there was a lot for me to do there and I just got some fire almost lit and I just started working even harder so despite what you're going through you can be able to push through and allow God purpose to be birth from me what words of biblical wisdom and encouragement would you give give to upcoming Christian singers who may be going through a roller coaster ride right now so I would tell him to be dedicated to the gift that God has given to you to be consistent to be persistent to submit your will to him Proverbs 34-5 say trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path and so that's my favorite text and I've tried my best to submit make my way to God and he has been directing me uh it didn't say that your life is going to be perfect it didn't say you won't have obstacles it didn't say you won't have heard us but if you trust in him he will direct your path you will not go without you you will not go through your Christian Journey without the fire it's a strong possibility you won't get burned because just like the three Hebrew boys he will stand in the fire with you amen that biblical wisdom is for all of us for all the listeners I know I I specifically said that you know wisdom and encouragement for Christian singers who are going to sing for the Lord but that is so perfect for every one of us in your song writing process has the Holy Spirit ever made you cry because of his holy presence yes uh we had some difficulties when I came for grad school and there's a song that I have fight for me it was an interesting moment I needed that song to be reminded that God is fighting my battle even in the spiritual Realm I don't I'm want I'm I'm here kind kind of thinking do I need should I go into the story my daughter was been attacked from a spiritual perspective and um as a father looking at the situation and realizing I couldn't do anything and felt helpless I think it's due teronomy 24 I don't want to lie but it was within Deuteronomy I was reading reading a text and I realized that God was speaking to me saying hey is the god of my strength and what you're going through I'm I've already placed angel angels who Excell in strength to protect your family what is something you won't compromise as a Christian worship singer I won't compromise my faith sometimes you do interview and it will appear as if you can't talk about Jesus you could talk about Jesus all you on right now oh yeah and and and so that is something that I've made made up my mind that whenever I get the platform I will talk about Jesus cuz he has been so good to even though I'm undeserving of it that is heartfelt very heart felt I know that the Lord provided you with supportive people who played a huge role in the development process in your award winning album Arrow you had a list of people I saw that list please share how their role provided you with the support and encouragement you needed in times of disappointment or struggle I believe strongly in community I can't do this on my own and so there are days when I'm going to feel down and feel like I can't make it and some of those persons are the ones who who said hey you can overcome this you have been doing well so far so continue on the journey my best friend lyd Douglas he is so supportive so his name is not mentioned there but he will call me if if I'm lacking in funds he will say hey this is a I'm going to do something for you this is the best I can do but I'm going to help you because I believe in this song and so people like that motivates me and remind me that I was born with a purpose that I need to share all the producers their Insight their abilities they're different from mine but God when we put them together it's like SE SE when you're SE seasoning a a nice pot I have something to bring but if we all put different seasoning that meshes it brings out a flavor and so yes I might write I I might sing but without those elements that they bring it wouldn't be good enough it wouldn't be palatable and so I'm so appreciative of all the persons that I've worked with what is something you have never shared with your listeners about yourself K Anthony that you would like to share in this interview I when whenever I whenever I wake up in the morning I like it to be quiet that's one thing um some persons might know this but some person might not I'm a Avid track and field fan because my first Passion was actually running 1200 M and so I've gotten scholarship for those and before the Lord told me to run another race that was my focus wow so did you use your scholarships to uh obtain your college education actually no um my parents at the time when I got I had gotten a scholarship to William nib which is the same school at you see in B went to they thought that I would have gotten Sid Track by focusing too much on track and feeli and not on my studies and so they shipped me off to a private Christian School and so even though I went to a private in in high school after that I was still training and I got a was getting a scholarship through the coach to a university in Texas but my focus had shifted and my passion was drifting towards something else it was during that time when I actually wanted to become an agronomist and um my mom because I wasn't able to get into that in institution my mom said have you ever thought of studying music at least for a year and it was that time I was wowed and I said that's not bad I've always been passionate about this and so I decided to enroll in northern Caribbean University in Jamaica where I studied music and communication so most people when I was growing up knew me for track and what they would be surprised about some of them is the fact that I'm in music now they didn't know they wouldn't they wouldn't know and I surprised sitting back as young as I was looking at myself I never thought about that and so it tells you the mystery of God did you ever run into any one of your um College friends and then they they found out that you sing now and they're like I would have never imagined that K Anthony my college friends would is my younger friends would have wouldn't have thought that I would get into music so I've been singing for a while I started writing I was signed in college so I've been doing music for a while um it is more my presence on the track that would have stunned people who um for the persons who knew me when I was younger would know me for truck and field they don't know me for music what were the first words you shared with the Lord K Anthony when you first found out that he blessed you and your album Arrow to be the Christian gospel album of the year at the 2024 junal Awards in Canada wow well I was seated at the table and I heard my name I just couldn't believe I was elated um I was so shocked I'm trying to remember what I sang on stage because I was intentional and the reason why I was intentional about what I was saying to God and letting everyone know that I was only there because he did it was because I had listened to everyone who accepted made their acceptance speech and I've never heard anyone mention God and I thought that if I should be called I will the first thing I'm going to sing about is God and how amazing he has been to me and what was that song I'm trying to remember the song that's so bad um let me see if I can remind myself was it saved at all no I sang to God be the glory to God be the glory to God be the glory to God be the glory yes because he has been good to me and um all glory belongs to him amen what does your family say about how the Lord has blessed you what is their reaction what's the reaction they're very supportive I'm a my wife is extremely supportive my cheerleader my kids are my cheerleader and my judge they're the ones who sometimes will say ah they don't know if they like this song but family has been my Tor of strength and I appreciate them a lot that's great I have to ask you though you have that song Arrow beautiful song your songs are beautiful and those lyrics are just beautiful too where you say [Applause] I said I was ready God choose me first to sign up said he could God us me didn't count the cost of the narrow didn't know the price ofing on didn't think i' lay through the valley pull back was for the let go like a Arrow Arrow I find myself in the great unknown like an arrow [Applause] Arrow was your daughter in that song in the video my youngest ners okay I tend to do that because I want them to realize that they a billboard for Christ and I want to get them involved into what I'm doing cuz sometimes it takes me away from home and so the only way I can I I want them to feel like they're part of what I'm doing beautiful I'm building a legacy he realized that anything is possible what was her reaction oh you know what's interesting we flew from um Fairfax Virginia where I was at the time to Minnesota from Minnesota to Sacramento then we drove to and the name is sh is slipping me now but we drove like about 3 hours from Sacramento up in the mountains yed mountains and she was so chill she enjoyed the moment um the only part of it is we were coming from the warm Sacramento area and when we arrived Close to You y it was so cold I didn't expect that um but it was enjoyable we I tried to motivate her she was a good Trooper it was cold for her um but she pushed through like a true star and just did her part wow and what is her name k Anthony her name is Nyla Jade Nyla Jade what a beautiful name and what is your wife wife say about your your blessing so my wife I would say she was more in tune with the fact that God had something major planned for my life she said the day I fully commit to him God is going to do remarkable things in my life and so I've seen that come to fruition and um I'm grateful for the support that she has been able to give to me glad that God selected her for me um because I know many persons wouldn't be able to stand by you being a musician isn't easy it takes a lot of sacrifice a lot of hard work people only see the end result they can't see the behind the scenes and so she have experienced all of that and so it's a blessing to have her walk this world I love your heart for the Lord and appreciate that you clearly mention that he has been your constant companion source of strength and he is your ultimate inspiration in your music K Anthony I pray that you will continue glorifying and blessing him this way forever and may he continue to bless you in return lastly Kate Anthony I know your underlying theme of your music is your love for God and hope for the future you have a strong desire to bring that hope and sense of purpose in life to young people who feel lost in one minute or a few minutes please speak from your heart to the Youth of this generation about the Lord so I know for the sometimes feel hopeless or feel lost confused Lon only so much going on in their lives and possibly probably thinking that their parents doesn't understand what they're going through also they they find the world to be so amusing secular music all the world portray sex all of that being advertised to them and bombarding their minds and creating chaos lack of peace I I often use this analogy that if I had a different flavor I scream and I think it was wonderful I would tell you about it because I want you to experience what I've experienced and in their depression and in the state that they're in where they're feeling lost my only message to them is one don't give up the sun will shine in your situation again and also just as I I would wanted to try that ice cream because I found it to be something so nice I just tell him to give Jesus just a little try just accept him in your heart okay he doesn't exist for you just say if you exist I want you to enter my heart just for trying sake just as though you try the ice cream that I present to you and I'm sure you'll see a great transformation in your life you'll find him definitely more sweeter than the ice cream that I'm offering and the change in you will be so vivid the world will know that you have had an encounter so my prayer is always saying hey just try Jesus just give him a try you can doubt him yes but give him a try and see what he does in your life because I know the struggles I know how hard it is the only time I have peace is when I allow Jesus in my heart and for him to read and that be my offering to them thank you for listening to Global gospel worship radio with Marina Maria where all the nations praise the Lord with Christian International music and radio programs for more information about our radio Ministry please go to Global gospel worship radio.org and now we'd like to bless you with this scripture from numbers 62 24- 26 the Lord bless you and keep you the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace thanks for listening