Kevin Downswell, a gospel artist and producer, said he was “very grateful” to know that his ministries had made an impact during the pandemic year. He won four of the five categories in which he was nominated at the Sterling Gospel Music Awards (SGMA). His single “Carry Me” won the awards for Local Hit of the Year and Local Hit Producer of the Year, while the song’s music video won for Video of the Year. “Conversations with Kevin Downswell,” a project in which he spoke to international motivational speaker Pastor Pamela Dillion; fellow gospel artists Rondell Positive and Psalmist Oshane Mais; and comedian Ity Ellis, won for Virtual Series of the Year. This was not the first time Downswell dominated the awards. AT the first SGMA event in 2017, he took the award for Album of the Year for “All the Way,” as well as Male Artist of the Year, Local Hit of the Year, and Collaboration of the Year for “Not Afraid” with Rondell Positive.

The Sterling Gospel Music Awards (S.G.M.A) was established to recognize talent and award excellence in the gospel industry. Endorsed by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, the annual ceremony remains the first and only of its kind in Jamaica. The name ‘STERLING’ is derived from the Oxford definition of the word, which means excellent or valuable.

Other synonyms of Sterling include: first class, exceptional, outstanding, superlative, laudable and admirable.