During her youth in rural St. Catherine parish, Jamaica, Stacy Wilson would sing the songs of Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and CeCe Winans. One day, she hoped to emulate her heroes and become a professional vocalist.
Three years ago, she recorded her first song as Stacy “Elevated” Wilson. That debut effort, titled ‘You Chose Me’, was released in February 2022; it is a somber testimony to God for accepting her, flaws and all.
Last September saw the release of ‘Jehovah’, a rocking reggae number that features Dean Fraser on saxophone. The Orlando, Florida-based Wilson is preparing to release her third song, ‘I am Blessed’, this month.
After years of apprehension and discouragement, she is pleased to finally get her singing career off the ground.
“People who I loved and believed in and who I thought loved and believed in me, crushed me with their constant disparaging remarks, which caused me to doubt myself and what God was doing. I was reminded of the horrible things they were saying about me…things like, ‘My time had passed. My season was up. I will never make it. My singing was outdated,” Wilson recalled.
The negatives took a backseat in the summer of 2021 when she met music producer Jerry Quarterman of Orlando’s Prosperity Records. After performing a few songs for him, he selected what became ‘You Chose Me’, a poignant ballad reminiscent of contemporary gospel acts like Winans.
The song’s popularity earned Wilson nominations for Best New Artist and Female Artist of the Year at the 2023 Tampa Bay Gospel Awards.
