WILSON
"THIS IS your house, this is your temple. This is where you are supposed to be. In my heart, in my soul. Holy Spirit, I want to be like thee," are the first few words of the song that 19-year-old Jordeen Wilson wishes to use to capture the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) National Gospel Song Contest.
She is not dismayed by the fact that she is the youngest contestant, but remains confident that her song, This Is Your House, will be a hit. "I think it is a good way to promote myself, my church and an album I am working on," Wilson said.
With the climax of the competition less than three weeks away and over $1 million in cash and prizes up for grabs, Wilson is still unwilling to see it as a rivalry. "I positively feel that I have a chance to be on top. All the songs are good, but right now, we are all so close that it doesn't even seem like a competition," she reiterated.
Jordeen grew up with her mother and four siblings in the Tower Hill, St. James, area. As a young Christian at age 12, she said she recognised that she was too far from God and wanted to make it right. It was while home alone in her bathroom that the words of the song came to her. "It was a way of confessing to God. I found myself crying and the words kept pouring out," she said.
Jordeen is currently doing a midwifery course at the Cornwall School of Nursing and Midwifery. She said she loves children and there is no greater joy than helping to bring a child into the world. She also has her eyes set on becoming a paediatric nurse. "I want to bring them in the best way I can. Nursing, no doubt, makes me feel special," she said.
Despite her love for music, she feels it is important to have a plan when approaching something as uncertain as that pursuit. In the meantime, she continues to enjoy fellowship at the Gospel Temple Assemblies of God Church and is also a member of the Unique Flames, the Gospel Vibrators Ministries and the New Generation Band.
Jordeen credits her mother and her four younger siblings for giving her the persistence to continue with the competition. And, of course, her supreme being played a huge role.
"If I didn't have God, I don't know where I would be right now," Jordeen said.
- A.J.
