Marvin Fishley, whose humble demeanour belies an awesome singing talent, has since been carving a place for himself on the local gospel scene.

A Taurian, born on April 30, Fishley lists his hobbies as singing, listening to gospel music, reading and travelling.

He attended Point Hill Primary and Junior High before moving on to Jonathan Grant High School and currently attends the Open Bible Institute of Jamaica.

Prior to Tastee, Fishley who started singing at age 13, entered the JCDC's Pop and Variety competition, its Speech and Drama Festival as well.

conscious music

According to Fishley, who prefers conscious, inspirational gospel, R&B and reggae to listen to, his favourite performers in the gospel arena locally are Kevin Downswell, Jermaine Edwards, Judith Gayle and Jason Mighty. He also likes Tarrus Riley and Etana, on the international scene: Donnie McClurklin, Marvin Sapp, Cece Winans and Byron Cage.

Still under the recording contract for his first prize, Fishley recorded the cover of Four Days Late on a reggae rhythm and Testimony, which is an original. Both have enjoyed a fair amount of airplay since their release.

In fact, no performance of his is complete without performing his winning song in the Tastee Talent Trail, Four Days Late.

Fishley has gone back to the studio and recorded In Your House which he wrote and released to Love 101 recently. He is currently in the studio putting final touches to two other singles which he hopes to compile with the other releases to form his first album.

"A year from now, I hope to see myself doing collaborations with other gospel artistes, ministering the undiluted word of God, inspiring persons through His music as well as winning a Grammy," he said.

Fishley, who said he would enter the Tastee Talent Trail again in a heartbeat if he could, says his life has changed dramatically since winning the contest: "I have done several weddings, funerals, gospel as well as secular concerts. I have developed an understanding for the music arena and my performance has improved since."

standing ovations

Fishley also lists the Genesis concerts in Kingston and Montego Bay, Portland Jerk Festival 2007, Betty Crocker's Bakers' Fiesta and the Port Royal Seafood Festival as shows on which he earned standing ovations. His next performance will be at Gospel Brunch at the Grog Shoppe on August 2.

When asked what advice he has for prospective contestants of the Tastee Talent Trail, he urged, "First and foremost, be yourself, put God first because without Him, you can't do anything. And choose a song that complements your voice, one that you can manage and shows your true vocals and range. Also, listen to the criticism from judges and work on those criticisms in order to be better the next time around."