Midway through her exhilarating performance on May 24, Genisa St Hilaire, better known as Nisa, threw off her brown patent leather stiletto heels, and set aside her African Kente cloth-styled fascinator as the temperature in the Central Bank Auditorium reached fever pitch.
By then the captivated audience had been given their money’s worth from the seasoned performer, who is well known in the gospel arena and has toured internationally with other revered artistes, including Sherwin Gardner.
But Nisa’s performance on the night was far from over.
The three-time Gospel Artiste of the Year and popular Sky 99.5 FM radio personality left everything on stage for her third concert presentation. From the very first note to her last, the girl from South proved over and over again, without a shadow of doubt, that she definitely can sing.
In the first half of the show, Nisa showed off her powerful vocal range delivering her own gospel tunes with a jazz and R&B flair.
She opened the night with Birds Flying High and Story To Tell before delivering Me and Lord We Need Your Love.
She was then joined by her sister Reisha and best friend Ayanna la Fleur for an acoustic version of Because He Lives.
The first half ended with her own interesting twist to Chaka Khan’s In Love We Grow.
Still there was one score to settle before Nisa could bring down the curtains on Aurora, so named as it signalled a new dawn for the artiste, with a point to prove about her versatility which she showed off masterfully by spitting lyrics at a rapid pace while infusing reggae and soca into her closing set to end on a spiritual high.
The entire experience was a celebration of love and family as Nisa performed a special tribute to ailing Uncle Fitz and spoke openly about the highs and lows of her personal and professional journey, as well as her own realisation that overcoming struggles requires daily affirmation – a practice which she also encouraged members of the audience to utilize in their own lives.
Other nuggets of wisdom came from guest performers on the night who ministered in song, including Blessed Messenger out of Tobago who was an instant hit with the crowd and had them singing along from beginning to end as he belted out My Prayer, Gossiping and Pressure Rise – the first two songs being self-explanatory, the last a reminder to the crowd of the goodness and mercy of God even in the midst of challenges.
Nisa’s husband and Sky co-host Jadee also revved up the crowd during a high-energy segment in which he shared the spotlight with some young and upcoming gospel talent, including Tenique Beckles and Rawlie-R.
Fifteen-year-old Sapphire also showed natural stage presence and confidence as she performed her self-penned anti-bullying song Bad Mind People. She has a bright future ahead, so too does Shanzy.
Rhonda Joseph also came with a powerful message of breaking free from domestic violence and abuse.
Derron Sandy was a standout for his spoken word performance of Happiness.
Special mention must also be made of MC Ken Simmons of Vibe CT 105.1 FM, house DJ Jael, also of Sky, the backup singers and the band who all contributed to making the experience an enjoyable one for patrons.
Overall Ratings:
A – for performances
A – crowd response
A – for Nisa’s outfits on the night (From her Black Velvet body-fitting formal ensemble to her African Kente-styled frock with matching fascinator)
B+ – General coordination of the show
