Guyanese gospel singer Samuel Medas seeks to make international impact

Feb 25, 2019 News

Gospel singer Samuel Medas, or as he calls himself ‘a country boy’, with a recent music award from Trinidad and Tobago, is moving to make an impact in the music industry as he uses his music to glorify God.
Medas, who has received awards such as ‘Best New Artiste of the Year’, ‘Regional Artiste of the Year’ and countless others shared a touching story about his path to become a singer.
The 30-year-old artiste who hails from Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara, grew up in the little village with his parents and brothers in a Christian household. His parents are both pastors and his brothers are following in his footsteps in Gospel singing.

Samuel Medas

Samuel Medas receiving the Regional Artiste of the Year award from Nyan Gadsby, Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Community Development & the Arts

Back when he was a child, Medas would go fishing, swimming in creeks and playing in the streets. However, he was drawn to playing the piano.
“I come from a family of musicians so you can say music is in my blood. At the tender age of five, I learned to play the piano, a skill which no one taught me. That was my entrance to music,” Medas stated.
Medas noted that he started to play music in church and, at the age of seven, he began singing in Sunday school.
“It was there that I found my voice. When I was 14, I got invited to sing at a concert and my cousin and I wrote and sang a song which got a standing ovation.”
The road to becoming a Gospel singer was not one which was intentional for Medas. The now passionate artiste highlighted his struggle in finding his identity to know where he stands in life.
“Being the child of a pastor, I was very mischievous; especially in school, where I followed bad company. It was a challenge being a good boy at home as against being a worldly singer in school.”
For Medas, a rude awakening came with a wakeup call from God.
“My mom used to operate a food stand and I used to assist her. There was a table at the road corner and we would lay out the food on the table to sell.”

Cover photo for his song ‘Blowing My Mind’

“One day I was out selling for my mom when this guy approached me riding on a CG bike with full speed. Before you could think twice, he hit the table which collided with me and sent me flying into a concrete fence.”
Medas related that everything was badly damaged. However, he came out without a single broken bone.
“This happened a Saturday afternoon. So the very night I fake a serious pain so that I won’t have to go to church the next day. Suddenly, I heard someone calling out my name just like Samuel in the bible. I believed it was God.”
According to Medas, the voice told him that he really believed he had it all, but there were better plans for him.
“From that moment on I surrendered my life fully to God and, soon after, doors started to open for me.”
Medas and his cousin, Allan Petty, decided to form a band under the name Cross Carriers. In 2008, they recorded their first track “Praise You” at the Willbro Recording Studio. But after years of being in Cross Carriers, Medas decided to use that experience as the launching pad for a solo career in music.
“I started travelling all over the world taking my local music to others out there. It was really mind-blowing to know that so many people appreciated my work and that was so great for me.”
Speaking about his recent song release, ‘Blowing My Mind’, Medas stated that, “With the Soca Monarch competition that was happening, I decided to joke around with a Soca genre and created that song. Persons were telling me not to but, in the end, I think it was worth it.”
The Gospel artiste highlighted that he has two Facebook pages and the song was shared on both. To his surprise, it got hundreds of thousands of views.
Having a career in singing is very difficult. A lot may say it is, by far, more challenging in Guyana. Medas pushes to prove otherwise.
“This is my job; I don’t do any other work and then turn to music on a weekend or such.
“I write my songs and earn my income from this. I am able to travel and perform, all for the glory of God.”
Medas, who is currently touring says that he is working on another new album. “I’m currently touring in Guyana. However, I’m working on a new album which is expected to be released for summer.”
From a young man struggling to find his identity to one of the major names in Gospel singing in the Caribbean, Medas stated “I think people settle for less because they don’t know what God has in store for them.”
He urged others not to be discouraged by what they see currently before them; rather, that they should go after their dreams and see the manifestation of God.