EASTER IS a time for reflection on the crazy love that Jesus has for me and for all of us. It’s more awe inspiring every year as I recount the sacrifice Jesus made, all for a relationship with me.

“Faith has shaped the way I see the world, the way I see myself and how I conduct my relationships. “It’s allowed me to have confidence in myself and love people unconditionally as I believe I have been loved by God.

“I love hip hop, rap, grime music because it represents a gritty sound that sonically I can relate to.

“When I first started to write rap songs I noticed that the content was different to that of which I was listening to.

“It was reflecting my relationship with God and how that affects my daily life. I think similar to how faith shapes the way I see the world, it affects the way I make music.

“God makes all things perfect in His – just keep walking closely with Him”

J Vessel

“Making moral deals behind the scenes, sharing the hope I’ve found in Christ on the mic and speaking up for injustice around the world.

“I do a lot of youth work apart from performing and many of my young people are aware of my music.

“Recently I’ve been enlisted to be part of coursework in which two students document my musical journey and show clips of me performing. It’s encouraging to know that more than the music, what you stand for is making people think twice about the way they view the world.

ANSWERS

“My message to millennials is you don’t need to have all the answers now.

“There’s a lot of pressure on millennials to be successful and thanks to social media it’s so easy to compare ourselves to someone else’s journey online.

“God makes all things perfect in His time, just keep grinding and keep walking closely with him.

J Vessel’s second album Head in the Clouds is set for release later this year.

Visit jvessel.com for more information.

‘My values are based heavily around my faith’

Sharlene Monique is a member of the Kingdom Choir that performed at the Royal wedding. She is also a soloist in her own right and is preparing for the release of Perspectives, her second EP later this month.

“Easter is a foundational part of my faith. It’s the time that we celebrate Christ dying and the resurrection. “It’s also when I spend quality time with family eating my mum’s amazing fried snapper, I must be honest about that.

“My faith has helped to shape the woman I have become. I can act like it was just my parents or I could say it’s just the way I am but my morals and core values are very heavily based around my faith in God and who I feel He has created me to be.

“I write music that I feel is honest and anyone can relate to. But I’m always trying to steer my listener towards Godly principles for example, loving who you are, living a life that is about more than just you but also about making an impact in someone else’s life.

“I’ve had countless messages from people all over the world as far as Canada and Taiwan about my music.

“They say it has helped them to believe they are beautiful, encouraged them to live their dreams and even helped with suicidal thoughts. I live for the messages of impact and if I didn’t get them I would begin to question myself. If my music is not helping someone then it’s just a nice hobby.

“My message to youth is don’t expect everything to happen today.

“The process and the journey is just as important as the destination because it takes good character to maintain any level of success.”

Visit sharlenemonique.com for more information

‘I’m able to point back to God and say He is in control and He is able to bring calm to many of our storms’

ASTAR is a Christian grime artist who also worked as missionary with the London City Mission. He recently released his second album Born & Raised.

“Easter means LIFE for me. An opportunity for a sinner like me to be forgiven because of God’s love for me through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

“My faith has completely changed my life, I no longer see things through my own eyes or follow my own path. I now follow God’s way and His word which directs my steps.

“Because of my faith, I’m able to provide hope in the midst of the chaos happening in our world and the struggles in my personal life. There is a light at the end of any dark tunnel, and I’m able to share that in my music, as well as my imperfections.

“My music touched on real life topics, on my debut album Born & Raised I speak on battling sickle cell anaemia, pornography, and being raised in an area filled with death and violence. I don’t shy away from the reality of these harsh things, but I’m able to point back to God and say He is in control and He is able to bring calm to our many storms.

“For the millennials I would say, you’re never too young to know the Lord. With the rapid rising of pressure and high expectations from us very early in life due to social media, we will find ourselves looking for validation in all the wrong places just to be accepted by society. But God doesn’t look at what we have, He sees our hearts. That’s what we should give to Him.”

Born & Raised is out now.

Visit astarmusicuk.com for more information