It's good to be Tyrone 'Papa San' Thompson. Nine years after turning his back on the secular world, the gospel deejay and dancehall legend is now in a good place.

Papa San

The veteran stage performer, now based in the USA, created history three years ago when he became the first Caribbean national to win a Stellar Award, one of the premier gospel music awards. And after 13 hit singles and 20 albums, his gospel records (such as God And I and Real And Personal) are touching souls in all corners of the earth.

Today, he is happily married, he is an ordained minister, his children are Christian missionaries and he has a new reggae gospel album ready to compete for a spot on the charts. Thompson recently 'wowed' a large gathering at the Genesis Music Festival in Kingston and spoke with the Sunday Observer the next day at the Hilton Hotel, about taking his career to the next level while sharing his simple but devout vision and message.

Sunday Observer (SO): What made your performance at Genesis this year different from the previous years?
Papa San (PS): It was very different from the other times in the sense that, you could see where the festival has grown and improved in terms of production. The vibe was just great and seeing the people enjoying themselves gave me a good feeling. It is really about how much you touch their lives. I just hope that the show will continue to bless Jamaicans and that through the show, more souls will be saved.

SO: We heard that you recently returned from a successful stint in Africa. What was that like?

PS: A team of us went to Uganda for a concert and about 40,000 people turned out. It was the single largest pulling for me as an artiste. It was a huge success. They have opened a new church there due to the amount of souls that were saved. It was a blessing for us. All honour and praise belong to King Jesus and I am honoured because He could be using anybody else and he is using me.

SO: For the past few years, there has been heavy talk about competitiveness among artistes in the gospel fraternity and it came to the fore recently at the Montego Bay leg of Genesis where Stitchie complained that his performance was affected by it. What do you think is happening to the local gospel music sector?

PS: Now is the time to pray that gospel artistes don't break into the way of the secular artistes because that is a danger. I know the feeling of it, and we must be careful. We are the example, and if we all start acting like movie stars, it is all going to break down. It is in our nature as human beings to get 'big-headed', but we have to be careful. Light and darkness cannot mix and we have to show the difference. We have to learn to humble ourselves.

SO: You are now an ordained Christian minister in Florida. What is the ultimate goal you hope to accomplish in this capacity?
PS: The ultimate goal is to win souls for Christ. That must be the focus because every sacrifice boils down to one thing - Jesus Christ. We must use the gifts and talents God gave us, then it is worth it all.

SO: When can we expect the new album?
PS: My new album is called Gospel Info and it will be released sometime this year with Zomba/Sony Records. I have my heart manifested on this album. It's going back to the reggae/dancehall roots and it will have about 13 or 14 tracks.

SO: Looking back at your career as an entertainer, are there any regrets?
PS: I just wish I could have been saved a little earlier. I cannot justify my past, because sin is sin. My whole entire secular past was wrong. But I love and respect Jamaicans for respecting my move and continuing to support my work.

SO: What do you want to do differently in 2007?
PS: Well, I want to eat healthier. (Laughs). I also mentor young artistes and I want to continue doing that. I want to pour into their lives what I have learnt and experienced.

SO: What is your wish for Jamaica?
PS: I wish that Jamaicans would live according to the word of God. The crime rate is just mind-boggling, but it all starts from home. I hope that one day, every heart will see the light of Christ, but it's going to take a change of mind and heart to change Jamaica.

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