‘Straight Jesus till mi drop dead’ Gospel artiste defends bold style

Having decided to turn his back on secular music to pursue a higher calling, Domnic Pitterson, who grew up in the church, is now defending his controversial ‘dancehall gospel’ sound.

“I’m not doing this for Christians. Yes, I want them to be able to listen to me and enjoy themselves. But I really want to reach non-Christians. It’s non-Christians. You have to meet them where they’re at and, if the whole point is to save souls and to go into the field, to go to war you have to go into the field,” he said.

But much of the war the up-and-coming artiste has since been facing is criticism that his sound is too similar to that of other dancehall artistes, with some comparing his style to that of dancehall artiste Najeeriii. For Pitterson, however, people are simply not yet accustomed to the sound.

“It is the flow and the beat and it is understandable in my opinion, but I think it’s a problem like this because they haven’t seen it before. I am trying to include what I know my generation would be pulled by and they will say he is just like me but singing about God,” he said.

In his most recent track, Straight Jesus, which was released more than a month ago, the artiste says “Straight Jesus til mi drop death … Mi a dancehall Christian to mi last breath”.

The 21-year-old, who is from Portmore, St Catherine but is now overseas pursuing a degree in interior design, told THE STAR that music is not just a hobby, but a calling, as he recently rededicated his life to Christ.

“I am a follower of Christ and I first got baptised at around age eight or 10, and then I recently got baptised again when I was 20,” he said. His spiritual renewal, he said, came after he began questioning his direction and felt a constant pull to return to his faith. Pitterson told THE STAR that his family was divided in its support of his musical pursuits at the time. His mother, who ensured he attended church every Sunday while growing up, watched quietly, while his father supported his movement. Although pursuing secular music initially seemed exciting, Pitterson said the experience left him feeling internally dissatisfied.

But, after rededicating his life to Christ, he was prepared to walk away from music altogether but found himself reflecting on messages he had received during his childhood.

“Little after I first got baptised, I remember a lady came to me and my grandmother and just said that God said that I’m going to preach the gospel when I get older. [In] another instance, I went to Clarendon and another lady told me the same thing. So, when I got baptised, I was wondering how I am going to do it,” he said.

Pitterson, who goes by the name Favored, told THE STAR that he considered several other ways of spreading the gospel before discovering Christian rap, which helped him navigate the transition from secular music.

“That’s really what helped me to like be a full Christian because it was really hard changing from secular music to Christian music,” he said. Still, Pitterson, who grew up singing in his church choir and often took the lead, believes his musical style is the way he can connect with people who may not otherwise listen to traditional gospel music.