AFTER MAKING A COMEBACK to the music industry last year February with a single called Praise Chant, which is currently on YouTube with over one million views, Shane Forrester is looking to release two new albums, Life’s Moment and Against The Grain, in the next three months.
So far he has released six singles, including the two most popular songs It Is Written and Praise Chant, along with Ungrateful, Against The Grain, If You Should Agree and Hit The Road.
During an interview with the WEEKEND NATION last week at his residence in Frere Pilgrim, Christ Church, Forrester said he had been working on getting more exposure outside of Barbados.
“Lately I have been doing a lot of writing, planning and dreaming big. Mid last year I signed a YouTube contract, which made me a YouTube partner, which allowed me to get more exposure and marketing,” Forrester said.
The solo artiste explained that his interaction in the studio with his cousin and R&B artiste Jaicko contributed to his decision to return to the music scene.
“God wanted me to take a step back for a sense of calling I had,” said Shane. “I was going through a transition and I wanted to give myself that gift where my latter years would be greater than my former years,” he said, explaining why he decided to take a break from the music spotlight.
According to Shane, the single It Is Written (released in the same time frame as Praise Chant) was a declaration to his critics, seen and unseen.
When asked whether he was moving away from R&B and into the gospel arena, he said that he did not like to be labelled as a gospel artiste.
“I will still do gospel and continue to write gospel because I feel like I have a duty and an obligation to contribute to the body of Christ. I think the concept of a gospel artiste is a man-made concept and not a God-made concept.
“So when you tell me I should only be a gospel artiste, you are limiting me because it’s like telling an artiste he can only paint with oil paint and he can’t do any pencil drawing,” Shane said.
As to his future goals, Forrester said within another five years he hoped to have a publishing deal with a record company and to generally impact on the current generation in a positive way through his music.
However, Forrester said that outside of music, he was very active in the church and his family gave him great support. (ML)
