Christina Richardson-Lawrence was only nine years old when she wrote her first song and therefore had no idea that she would someday write and record an entire Gospel album. But today the singer/songwriter, who lives to bless others, is writing the lyrics for her second album.
A teacher at Skeldon Line Path Secondary School, when she is not teaching or writing notes of lessons, Christina spends time working on her music.
With both her parents as pastors, Christina grew up in the church and this fostered her singing talent. Church is a large part of the 27-year-old’s life as she leads worship services at the God of Change Apostolic Ministries.
With a multi-talented father who plays the box guitar, the rhythm guitar, bass guitar, the drums, keyboard, and the harmonica, some of his flair for playing the instruments has rubbed off on the singer who can play a little of the keyboard. Once an aspiring criminal lawyer, the English Language and Literature teacher also writes songs for other singers; songwriting is one of her passions. “I love singing and songwriting. I also do enjoy teaching children; it is a joy,” enthused Christina. “I not only get to teach them the curriculum but I also get to help encourage young girls and inspire the young men. I get to teach them values. I get to help them become the kind of adults that people look up to and admire. I definitely enjoy interacting with them in the classroom.”
While the arts and entertainment industry is one that brings the artiste peace, it also gives her great satisfaction to know that she can share this peace with others through the inspiration in her songs. However, getting her music out there was quite a challenge at first as she did not know how to market it. Christina was finally able to figure out the ins and outs and has fans in Guyana and internationally, who are able to find her music on a number of online musical platforms. She also added that while it is important to have really good content, knowing how to market oneself is vital for success in the industry.
Her current challenge is the long trip to Paradigm Recording Studio on the East Coast Demerara to have her songs recorded. When she lived in the city this was no hassle, but now that she lives all the way at Corriverton, it takes hours by bus. With her second album in the works and slated to be released next year, she is expected to be traveling soon.
Her first album, ‘Out of Zion’ which was released in 2017, consisted of 12 original songs, one of which is the popular Reggae-Gospel hit “Hill of the Lord”. Another popular song on the album is “Zion”. Neither one is her favourite though. Christina shared that her favourite song on the album is the contemporary piece “Nothing” which was written differently from most of the other songs on the album. She found that she connected with it the most also.
Speaking on what she could do to improve on marketing, Christina noted that people gravitate more towards music videos, so she is working up the courage to get in front of a video camera.
She opined that the government has been doing more as regards to the local music industry. “Like they have been doing this past year and last year, just creating spaces where the local artistry is displayed and is felt. There was a time when we enjoyed shows because we were always having international artistes visiting but I think creating spaces where the local artistes are displayed and showcased at an excellent level… This is something we’ve noticed they have begun doing like they recently did at the expo in Dubai,” she stated.
“If they continue to do things like that it will encourage the people in [Guyana] who are creatives or artistically-minded to produce excellent content… If we can continue to foster that sort of appreciation here, other nations will see and want it too…”
In sharing appreciation for local talent, the singer mentioned two Guyanese singers she is inspired by, the first being singer/songwriter Yonnick Adolf who worked along with her on her album; she also worked on his album. The second is Rondel ‘Disi’ Holder.
Christina has performed at numerous concerts and other events. The pandemic of course has affected this, resulting in many of her recent performances being done virtually.
“We couldn’t be in the stadiums and we couldn’t be in the parks but we definitely had our worship sessions and concerts and our Facebook lives, our IG (Instagram) lives…,” she said.
The pandemic, said the singer, has allowed her the time to be revived and find new perspective while at the same time inspiring her to write a different kind of music, one that internalizes and reflects on experiences through which she encourages listeners to be in the presence of God.
In the coming years, Christina plans on releasing more albums, but also books on worshipping God and sharing her experiences. She is looking forward to becoming a household name and collaborating with more artistes on her songs. This is all part of a legacy she hopes to leave, one where people see her as a principled, God-fearing woman.
A social media personality, Christina runs a Facebook page called “The Whole Woman” where she meets virtually with women once a week to help them to find purpose in their lives and understand that no matter what they have experienced in the past, God has a bigger plan for them. The online community, she said, is also really to counteract that culture of women always being jealous of each other and instead be more supportive of each other.
With music and church taking her to eight of Guyana’s ten administrative regions, Christina looks forward to visiting the two she has not been to yet, Region Seven and Region Eight. Music, she said, has afforded her the privilege of travelling, which she enjoys.
Whenever she is not teaching or caught up with her music, the singer likes to spend time with her husband and her dog, Teddy Red.
Christina’s music can be found on iTunes, Spotify, CD Baby, Tidal, Amazon Music, YouTube and all other musical platforms. She can be followed on Facebook at Christina Richardson Lawrence and The Whole Woman and on Instagram @iamchritinarichardson.
