KINGSTON, Jamaica —While visiting the United Kingdom last year, singer Shemeika attended a service at her cousin Pastor Patrick Dawkins’ church in Derby, central England.

She was struck by a song one of the members performed.

It was a rendition of Worthy of It All, which American gospel star CeCe Winans recorded for Believe For It, her 2021 album. Shemeika was eager to cover it, which she did recently with producer Stephen Murphy.

“During service, the praise and worship leader began singing it. I was in awe. The presence of God in that moment was unforgettable, and from then on, I fell in love with the song,” she told Observer Online. “Later, as I was preparing to release my first gospel single, Empty Me, the song came back to me during a night of devotion. I checked online and realised I hadn’t seen a reggae version of it, so I knew I had to do it.”

For her version, the Florida-born Shemeika paid homage to her Jamaican roots by recording Worthy of It All to a reggae beat. Most importantly, she wanted the song’s message to bring new souls to the Lord.

Empty Me, released in January, marked Shemeika’s foray into gospel. A cousin of dancehall artiste Vershon, she released secular songs such as Never Know, but being from a Christian family, the Word was never far away.

“Although I’ve been in church for most of my life, music-wise I was surrounded by many different influences. My cousin is dancehall artiste Vershon, so that side of the world was familiar to me,” said Shemeika. “But I always leaned more toward love songs and conscious music—I was never the raw type. Gospel felt like the natural evolution.”

Her influences include Papa San, Chevelle Franklyn, Joan Flemmings, Minister Marion Hall and The Grace Thrillers, whose dancehall/reggae songs have helped broaden gospel music’s appeal, especially with younger fans.