JESSE PRATT: THE QUINTESSENTIAL GOSPEL ARTISTE

Throughout 2020, Jesse Pratt’s “confirmed destiny” song was one of the most popular Liberian gospel songs. This was one of the reasons why he nominated for gospel artiste of the year at the 2020 MTN

Jesse Pratt performing at his album launch

Throughout 2020, Jesse Pratt’s “confirmed destiny” song was one of the most popular Liberian gospel songs. This was one of the reasons why he nominated for gospel artiste of the year at the 2020 MTN Liberia music awards.

Jesse Pratt is a professional songwriter that has written for many international acts. He is a music pastor, music director, and he can play multiple instruments which include the piano and the guitar. He also has a diploma in music, stage management and theatre arts.

The second child of a family of five, Jesse grew up in a music home. He grew up in the church and his dad was a choir director. When I spoke to him he said; I grew up going to choir practice, I wasn’t the best singer in the home at the time, but with time, I fell in love with music.

In December 2020 he launched his album titled confirmed destiny. At his album launch and concert, he performed and did the live recording of songs from his next album titled “Dead to self””. He is currently signed to a management contract with USH productions.

I sat down with Jesse Pratt to talk about the Liberian gospel music scene. The questions asked are highlighted in bold, and his replies are directly below.

At what point did you decide to pursue music professionally

I started to do music in Liberia for a couple of years, and I always had a vision of where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. But I took music more seriously when I had the opportunity to visit Nigeria for some years to study music on a professional level. That’s when I decided to go into full time music. I went to Nigeria in 2014 to earn a diploma in music stage management and theater arts. I am still in and out of Nigeria.

Do you think gospel music is profitable in Liberia?

People don’t make money from music in Liberia because they focus on our local market and we don’t really have the population for it. How many people in the country have phones that have access to internet?  How many can buy music? How many can stream? We need to make money from the international market, but if we want money from the international community, we need to factor in the quality of the songs we are putting out. I mean quality as regards pre and post production, song writing, promotion etc. For my next album, we plan to do the mixing in Nigeria and the mastering in Australia at Hillsong studios. I am spending a lot as investment in the production of my new album because the goal is the international community.

Other African gospel acts like Sinach have had major success with their music penetrating global markets. Do you think it’s possible for Liberian gospel music to cross over?

We can crossover, we just need one person to cross over. In Nigeria, Sinach wasn’t the first gospel act to branch out, Sammie Okposu and Midnight Crew were international with songs like Igwe and the likes. By the time they were able to crack the international market, others built on it and branched out. It’s not a one-day thing, it’s a process. We have started to invest more in our music, we are laying the foundation for us and the people behind us to penetrate global markets.

For people whose market is primarily Liberian, what change in the system can make them earn more?

For both gospel and secular artistes, they need to make sure the production and post production is up to international standards. You can produce a good song, if the mixing and mastering is bad, it’s not going anywhere.

They also need to invest more in their craft, apart from spending money on production, they need to have a budget for promotion. Even for the biggest artistes with hit records, there is a budget for promotion to take the music to where it needs to be. Music has money, but you have to spend money and invest money in music.

How important is collaboration

I do a lot of collaboration, I believe when I put someone on my platform, I give them the opportunity to fly the flag of the Liberian music. I also hope that people I put on can put on other growing artistes, that way, we would constantly generate and help the next generation of stars. At my concerts you would see a lot of young people performing, that is because I see a lot of potential in them, and all they need is a bigger stage to build their confidence and skill. And as they get bigger and better, the industry gets better and bigger.

What inspires your music, and what inspired the song confirmed destiny?

My music is largely influenced by my experiences and the holy spirit. Whenever I am ministering, I follow the holy spirit, he leads me and I follow and do what he wants me to do.

Confirmed destiny was borne out of feeling unwanted, disappointed and being unsure whether I was on the right path, and God replied me that he had plans for me and my destiny has been confirmed. That’s where the song came from.

What changes do you want to see in the music industry?

I want artistes to honour themselves, I want them to see themselves as more than average, I want them to see themselves as people tasked by society to bring and maintain good vibes. I want them to see themselves as blessings. I want gospel music to go to the next level, I want more Liberians to support our music.

NOTES

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