Danielle Mayne copped the prestigious title of Jamaica Gospel Star 2022 at the grand finale aired live on Saturday, July 30, 2022 on PBC Jamaica, Love TV and Mello TV and streamed live on the JCDC Facebook and YouTube pages.
Twenty-five-year-old Mayne outshone nine other finalists in this year’s competition to win a single, a music video and a whopping one million dollars. She also tied with fellow Manchesterian and second place winner, Chantal Smalling, for the Spirit of Praise Award; an award presented by Nadine Blair and the Allowed to Shine Ministries to the contestant who exhibits the heart of encouragement for the finalists. Regina Campbell, a member of the Deliverance Full Gospel Church of God in Kingston was awarded third place.
Minister of Culture, Gender Entertainment and Sport, Honourable Olivia Grange, was among those in attendance. When asked how she felt about this year’s competition, Minister Grange stated, “Tonight was great. The Gospel Star Competition is really growing and coming into its own. The concept of choosing the Gospel Star is an idea that will help to promote gospel talent in Jamaica and so far the competition has lived up to my expectation…this competition means a lot to us and we really want to see it grow from strength to strength.”
With reference to the 2022 all-female top five finalists, Grange stated that “…I would say this is the year of the female, they have really shone and they have done exceptionally well.”
Each of the top five finalists were awarded ten thousand dollars from Kevin Downswell Foundation. Other finalists in this year’s competition included Amoya Thompson-Smith, Sasha-Gay Sutherland, Michaela Jack, Johanna Morgan, Kimone Martin, Chantal Simon, and Daron Mitchell
Special guest performers included Petra Kaye and the 2021 Jamaica Gospel Star, Erica Lumsden. Since winning the competition, Lumsden has had a steady performance schedule and is set to release her single, “He’ll Be There”.
The Gospel Star Competition TV series which first premiered in 2021, is a production of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC), an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport. It is a rebrand of the iconic Jamaica Gospel Song Competition. Unlike its predecessor, the Gospel Star Competition takes the format of an elimination-based television show, with contestants performing the cover of their favourite gospel songs in keeping with each week’s theme for votes from the public and the judges. The 2022 series is powered by the CHASE Fund, Sagicor, Digicel, the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency, IRIE FM, Gospel JA, Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority, and Shirley Biscuit.
