Exclusive! Life and Times of Jadee: Part 1

Gospel Globe's Adesola Stewart landed an exclusive interview with Gospel Soca artiste Jadee, to get an insight into the life and mind of the young man of God. In this article, the first of two, we learn about Jadee's origins in Christianity, and gospel music.

Gospelglobe -What are the beginnings of Jadee or where did Jadee come from?

Jadee- There are two parts to myself. The part where I got saved when I gave my life to the Lord in the year 2001, then there’s me from a very young age.
To make a long story short, my name is Jerry Dane Sellier (where the Jadee comes from).

From a very young age I just wanted to be an entertainer, I didn’t know anything else, since from my blue shirt and kaki pants in primary school. I was mimicking a lot of the hip hop artistes and dancehall artistes and that led to singing in the streets on the block.

The beginnings were very humble - it wasn’t about video, TV, touring or flying. In fact it wasn’t about getting any kind of money, it was just singing for fun, the love of it. [It was about] writing getting your story out there and fascinating the people, impacting people’s lives, changing peoples lives even for the negative at that time!

I was very humble - just battling for money in Arima to buy little sneakers and that’s where I met Benjai, Bunji Garlin and all of them.

I did that for the majority of my youth, teenage age years until I signed a one year compilation deal through 96.1 and Chinese Laundry (who was the owner of the station at the time) with a record label called Link Up Records.

Link Up Records signed Maximus Dan, Treason and Precious and that was the beginning of my professional touring where all the fame came in. I had a song then called ‘Aye Yo’ in 2000 which was a hit song and that really got me into all the parties, all the fetes, all the countries and all the carnivals.

Gospelglobe – How did you get saved?

Jadee- Well, my girlfriend at the time (who is now my wife) was more or less like a backslidden Christian and back then. I was very unfaithful to her and she felt that she had been hurt to many times. Eventually she rededicated her life to the Lord.

This was the first woman I ever met who was not like the other women. So when she rededicated her life to the Lord (I didn’t even know what rededication was) she went her way and I went my way.

This was in 2001, and I was still doing the soca thing and touring. She did say before she left that that life I living was full of lust and that’s why I was doing the things I was doing.

I asked her what lust is and she explained to me some things. Then my sister who was always a Christian in my house (when I would be banging bounty killer she would be in the other room playing Donnie Mc Clurkin) noticed I was down and introduced me to the bible.

I’ll never forget the scripture, Romans 7:14 where Paul was talking and he said “things I want to do, I can’t do, but things I don’t want to do I find myself doing it - oh what a wretched man I am”.

She invited me to go to church then at the same time invited Giselle (my exgirlfriend) to the same church. I’ll be very honest with you, my plan was since Giselle went  back to church let me act like I wanted church to so I can get her attention and then eventually when we start back talking, pull her out of church and we go back into the dance!
What happened was I met my pastor at the time and she started to give her testimony. To make long story short, I don’t know what happened I just began getting very interested in the word of God and finding out what was Jesus’ purpose was for my life.

I was still traveling, still singing and after about six months I had to come to a place where I had to make a decision - now that I found out that I was a sinner (before I thought sinners were just people who kill and shoot and rape). I found out that we were all born in sin and shaped in iniquity. I had to make a decision.

I chose Christ.

Gospelglobe - Now being saved going into new things. How did you meet Sherwin Gardner?

Jadee- Well I met Sherwin one time way back in 96.1, he was on a riddim and I had just heard him for the first time. He was big in the church at the time but I had never heard of him. Then about three years after some one told him I had gotten saved and he came and looked for me.

Sherwin and Jamie Thomas (who I didn’t know at the time either) came to my house to welcome me into the kingdom and give me some encouragement. I began going to Sherwin’s house and he showed me some videos of himself singing in the pilgrimage. I thought “alright you could do this in gospel” because I didn’t have a clue.

I honestly thought that was it for me and I was well prepared to sacrifice it all. Ready to cut my hair, I had already taken my five gold teeth out and whatever!

Then I saw Sherwin singing and his mother Pastor Gardner told me “your gifts are given without repentance and you can use your gifts and talents for the Lord”. I asked “yuh sure?” and since then Sherwin has been my best friend.

GospelGlobe – What was your deal/ contract under Flowmasters and Sherwin?

Jadee- (Appearing to think hard) I don’t really remember, I think there was a contract for Tiko and Shiselon and the others but I didn’t have any documented contract.

They said they’d do my album. We did “God be for me”, “Daddy Oh”, and “Come Out ah Dat and Come in Ah This” and all these songs. I told them I would do the album and if it sells I would pay for studio time.

We weren’t even studying hard core business.

A funny thing happened with that album though. When the album was finished I had already had four songs on the radio - everyone was excited. We took about eight months dropping singles and then Bishop TD Jakes came to Trinidad and I had an opportunity to have my album launch at his youth convention which was on the third day.

About three days before we could press the album the spirit of the Lord through prayer and council gave me the word that said “Don’t put the album out. Just scrap it”.

I went to Sherwin and Jamie and told them what the Lord showed me which was not to put the album out at this time. He wanted me to get more involved in worship and that type of thing.

So that album never came out, it never came out! That album had popular songs like “God be for me”, “Daddy Oh”, “Come Out ah Dat and Come in Ah This”.

We just never released it.

Written by :

Adesola Stewart

 

Features - People