angelo.jedidiah@guardian.co.tt
After having a successful stint in the world of Carnival, local artiste 5Star Akil (Akil Borneo) has exited the soca stage and has begun his new walk in Christianity.
Last Sunday, social media came alive once Borneo uploaded a video announcing his retirement from the soca music industry. The video captured snippets of his personal journey, as he was baptised at the St James Pentecostal Church.
In an interview with Guardian Media, Borneo honestly described that his new way of life had been in the making for many years.
“You might not be aware of what’s going on because He [God] does warn you. He does do things and put things in place when He wants to get your attention,” Borneo said.
According to Borneo, he grew up in a Christian household so the teachings of Christ have always been “rooted” inside him.
In 2010, the former DJ survived after being shot five times, which he believes was an early wake-up call, that he did not adhere to.
“Sometimes we harden you know. We doesn’t listen you know. We does wait until we on a bed getting that message ‘I telling you to stop doing that and you ain’t doing that and you want to do what you want.’ But God don’t want you to do what you want. You have to do His will,” Borneo said.
But the Partier and To Meh Heart singer went on to become a soca star, releasing many notable hits. With his acclaimed success, he found it harder to walk away from the “superstar kingship” that he received from the entertainment business.
“Secular music. That music has a way, that things does make you do a lot of weird things. It doesn’t make you do what is of God,” he said.
After acquiring, Island Treats, a frozen delight business known for its wide variety of flavoured lollies, Borneo found himself going through some economic hardships going into the COVID-19 pandemic.
During this time, he also “wrestled” internally with his actions and life over the past few years, which he knew was not in accordance with what God wanted for his life.
“From the shooting, to opening a business, to the pandemic, that’s God warning you, saying, ‘Well hear what going on, let me get you. I need you, this sheep. I don’t want this sheep to go astray,’” he said.
As the country emerged from the constraints of the pandemic, Borneo admitted that it was “not an easy decision” to reject calls and bookings for soca events, which he knew would have benefitted him financially. But he knew that he ‘couldn’t serve two masters.’
“I was ashamed of God because I didn’t want people to know that I was serving God and then after I hear God say, ‘If you are ashamed of me, I am going to be ashamed of you,’” he said.
“Soca gospel is doing the will of God. Soca is to influence you to do something that you don’t even know you’re doing. So the people who are unbelievers, they can bun me down and I just don’t business. Because I standing with the Lord.”
Borneo’s baptism video received over 800 comments, including notable soca artistes: Voice, Patrice Roberts, Olatunji and SuperBlue, offering their encouragement
Borneo has expressed his interest in releasing soca-gospel music in the near future.
He said that while his “work has now started,” he has a lot of growing to do. But he said he reminds himself daily, “is anything too hard for the Lord?”
“When I got baptised, there was work to do and the work was that, to reach people. I might not be perfect but God still loves me.”