O, Man, Class of 2019
Interview Transcription
(Filler words have been omitted)

Sharldine Desire: When did you start singing gospel music and why?
O: I’ve been singing gospel music for as long as I can remember. I was born in the church, my family sings…so that’s all I know. I was born singing.
SD: So did you like it right away—?
O: Yes.
SD: —and what about it kept your interest?
O: Well I grew up in the church, my father is a pastor, my uncles are pastors, my mother’s the first lady, my uncle was a Chaplin so gospel music has always been a part of my life. And for me, not only is it the music itself but the message that the music portrays and I can relate to it like if I’m going through something, I can listen to the music and know that they understand my struggle.
SD: Why did you join gospel choir here at Williams?
O: So back home I was in gospel choir and coming to Williams I knew that I wanted to find an environment where I could grow spiritually and still listen to the music I was accustomed to at home and be myself. I’m very goofy, I like to sing and play around I knew I wanted to find an outlet where that could be expressed.
SD: How do you think being in gospel choir has impacted your life here so far?
O: For me it’s a great help. For me, I want to make sure I am living a life that is pleasing to God and since I’m in gospel choir that means I am at the forefront of the school so I would not want to bring somebody down from my actions. For example, let’s say if I’m doing something I know I’m not supposed to be doing, if someone sees that and says “Hey, you’re in gospel choir! You’re up there singing this but you’re living a different life.” And I don’t want to be a hypocrite or live a double life so being in gospel choir helps me stay on the straight and narrow.
SD: How do you, or do you, interact with gospel music outside of the choir?
O: Oh, that’s all I listen to. I also—I write gospel music. I’ve written probably about over twenty songs—
SD: What?
O: Yeah, so I listen to, I’ve written, back home I directed gospel choir so…it’s part of my life.
SD: Okay, so what do you think is the difference between you sitting there writing songs, listening to songs, being all up in it and then learning and performing gospel music with the choir?
O: When I listen to it or write a song, it’s more personal. Like when I’m writing a song it’s either about something I’m going through or something that I have experienced, it’s me pouring my heart and soul into that song. Same for when I listen to it. If I’m feeling down or slightly depressed, I listen to the songs and it boosts me up. Whereas when you’re performing it, it’s still that same aspect but it’s a performance, which means you have to learn the songs. Your mind has to be focused on the song and making sure you learn your part because you can put all your heart and soul in it but if you’re singing the wrong note, it’s not going to sound right.
SD: So do you like the performance aspect of gospel choir?
O: Overall, I would say yes. Back home we didn’t call it a “performance,” we just sang in church but here I do like it…it’s different, but I like it.
SD: It’s different, how’s it different?
O: Well, back home it was more of a spiritual “performance” because we would say that we’ve done this but we’ll just let the Lord have his way [with the performance] and that was your mindset whereas here in our performance, the Lord can still have his way but this is our set agenda and we have to follow it.
SD: How do you think the students here read our performance of gospel music?
O: I think it’s a blessing. They may not realize it but it’s keeping them. Because you can see people’s faces light up, they’re happier, some say they were depressed but it has lifted their spirits up and that’s what gospel music is supposed to do. So if that’s what people say they are feeling based on our performance than we’re doing our job.
SD: So just take us back into black history, what role do you think gospel music has played in the past?
O: Gospel music was a way for African-Americans to tell their story and exemplify their struggle. For example, during slavery times we had the negro spirituals, it was a way for them to send messages to each other and also away to let others know “Hey, I know what you’re going through.” And throughout history, gospel music is supposed to spread the good news of Jesus Christ so I feel like in that aspect as well, it’s always portrayed the message.
SD: Do you think it still plays that same role in the black community today?
O: I think it does, overall. I mean not as many people are as “spiritual and religious” as they were in the past but gospel music is consistent. We might have all these trends here and there, you might have these music artists but gospel music is the one thing that’s going to be there, it’s like your foundation, you may not think about it but you know when you’re down and out, it’s that one thing you can go to. So I think it’s still in the black community like that…yeah.
SD: What role do you think it plays outside of the black community?
O: I feel it is a way for people who are not black to understand the struggle of people who are black and it’s also a way for them to hear the message of Jesus Christ, so it’s like a two-fold process.
SD: So tell me about your first concert, what was that like for you? Singing with the choir and then alone as a soloist…and what was it like seeing the audience’s reaction or if you were paying attention…kind of just that dynamic, tell me about it.
O: I loved it, when it was over I was like “It went by so quickly!” For me though, the very beginning when we were singing the Negro spirituals, I felt that the people who were not black in the choir truly put all their emotion and passion into the songs we were singing like “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around…”
SD: The people who weren’t black did?
O: Yes, I feel, as a whole—
SD: So they did or they didn’t?
O: They did not. Because I feel like that song, as an African-American, we know the struggle. We’ve seen it, we’ve heard it, and we’ve felt it, whereas for them it was like “Oh this is just a nice song with a nice stomping beat.” Same for “Oh Freedom.” If you listen to the words “before I be a slave, I’ll be buried in my grave and go home…” Like, as I was singing it, I was thinking to myself like “No, oh freedom. I want this freedom.” And same throughout the whole concert, for me, my goal was to make sure I put all my passion so that when people heard me sing they could tell that I believed what I was singing and that through my singing, they realize that I am being blessed as I am blessing them. So, when I sang my solo that was my mindset.
SD: So is there anything else you’d like to say about your experience here so far, with GC? What you’ve learned from being a part of it…anything?
O: Oh I love it; I just wish the choir were bigger because people do not know what they are missing. You have a family, you’re learning, it’s exciting, it’s fun…and you can’t beat that. Like for me, whenever I leave gospel choir, I’m always happy…so I’m grateful for it.

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