 Watsap everybody and thank you so much for tuning in yet again. I hope each and everyone of you is having a good time and is doing well. How about you let me know where you're tuning in from by talking to us, by talking to us rather on our Facebook page that is rising stars ea, rising stars capital E dot capital A. I go by the name Vivian Dagwa and today I am having a gospel artist with me who goes by the name Jose Blessed, not blessed. He just corrected me, I was saying Jose blessed and he insisted. No, not blessed, just called me blessed. So Jose blessed, how are you? I'm so fine. Welcome to the show. Thank you so much. Why do you insist it's blessed? I mean when we write it blessed, right? B-L-E-S-E-D, right? So why do you have to insist it's blessed and not blessed? Okay, it's just, I think it's just a matter of, I think there is no, that big reason attached. I just like being mentioned, blessed. You feel it's sounding better when you say you're blessed. Oh, I'm blessed. So you're a blessed person and that's why you decided to call yourself that? Yeah, just consider myself blessed. Because of the great thing Lord has done unto my life. What are some of the things that you can put out? Since you're a minister of the gospel, so it's like a usuhuda, telling us something that God has done into your life that is so great. Okay, maybe to begin with, one of the greatest things that I would like to thank God for is in the first place, I'm a total love fan. Maybe to begin at that point. Yeah, and normally you know if you are an orphan, it's so tough. It's so tough. It's so tough, but financially, socially, I hope you know how it's very tough. Then I didn't expect that God could have raised me to this point. I'm in school, I'm at the university, I'm serving in a big church, I can talk and people listen, I can say people like, it's siki to rahisi. I just consider myself blessed. That's all. Not actually a blessing to consider that you were orphaned at quite an early age, but here you are now. You managed to be who you are without the help of your parents because of God. I don't have parents, but I thank God for giving me a church. I'm in a church called Count Victory Center, Nyanchabo Pefa under Mamharia Trobiken and Ken himself. So under that care, I grew up. So you realized you can sing at what particular age since you mentioned you were serving in the choir? When I was in high school, particularly in Form 2, I remember the first day we were being trained, the choir was being trained and I was one of the guys who were singing very, very, very bad and I was isolated. But this mum I called Harriet, she encouraged me, she told me that you can do better. You're one of the best vocalists that can be. So I went to the church and I found myself here. Yeah, you prepped at it. So while you were writing your lyrics at that age, while you were still growing musically and all, first of all, are you a writer? Are you a songwriter? You have someone who writes songs for you? No, I write songs for myself. All right, now here comes the question. So now while you were starting to write your own songs at that particular time, did you get your lyrics from the Bible? Do you take the Bible and find, like you open sums and then you find something that has been said? You know, like, as I walk through the valley or the shadow of death, you know that song, a Kodida song, it's directly from the Bible. Do you do the same thing or what inspires you to write your music? No, okay, this mind is different. It is in this mind. Me, I read the Bible, but I don't quote the exact verses. Okay, sometimes I quote, but sometimes I don't. In most cases, I don't quote, but what I do, I read the Bible, get the message, I paraphrase, I put down the song. So yeah, that's how I come up with my songs. But then I don't say that I will not quote Bible verses in my songs. I will quote, but in most cases, you know it's a matter of being creative. You want to show people, like how God has blessed with creativity. Yes, you don't quote. Many people have been quoting exact verses. I'm not criticizing, but you do something different. You read the Bible, you paraphrase it. You come up with the message. I think the most important thing is the message. Yeah, that is. I feel paraphrasing is the better way of doing it. For my case, I just think that's the best way for my case. Alright, I'll have to bring this question in. Over the past weeks or, let me say weeks, there's been controversy in the gospel industry. And actually people right now are timing the gospel industry in Kenya as a fake and immoral industry. What do you have to say about that? Okay, let me talk. This is what I'm going to say. Me, as far as Jesus Christ is concerned, His suffering is concerned. I think that day I chose gospel as a genre. I think I knew what I would do. So I'm not going to talk about what those other guys did. I would just focus on whatever I know that is right to serve my God. That's all. Of course, criticism is there. And not just because other people did what they did, what was the kusema, now we're generalised the gospel industry is ruined. No. There are those people who are... Yeah, yeah, just a person. Yeah, don't just generalise. There are those people who are standing and serving God in truth and faith. Before I ask you this other question, have you gotten the time or the chance to interact with some of the celebrities in the gospel industry? Those who have already made it. Yeah, yeah, some of them. So can you really tell us if fame actually changes some of these people's character? Do you feel like somehow they are changed by the fame and the money that comes with their name? Okay, sometimes. Yeah, I just think sometimes and more so when somebody is not that strong spiritually, that's automatic. You know, like when you declare that you are serving God, you are not the target for the devil. Yeah, and if you are not strong spiritually, automatically the devil will attack you and will win. Yeah, so that is why you find that some people, if they come famous, they change. Yeah, that is it. But if you have Jesus, he will always guide you. Like this is not the right thing. It's not, you know, fame is just a term. But you are the still, just a blessing, you know. Yeah, that is. So what exactly you are saying is that as in we are all tempted by the devil once in a while, whether you are saved, whether you are not, but it all depends on how strong you are in the world. We are all tempted. But one thing I want you to know is that when you are saved, you are now the most target for the devil. So that is why you see, like, if I am a Christian and I am found of a scandal, it will be more popular than that person who is not saved. But one thing that people should know is that even these gospel artists and those saved people, they are still human beings. Yeah, they are still human beings and they have witnesses. Let's talk about your music now. You've been doing this now professionally for approximately three years or... Am I wrong? Let's say for four years. For four years now. And you have around eight audios out already and two videos. One is a collab and the other one is a single. And the one that you're promoting right now is the single that is called Nite Te. Let's talk about Nite Te. What is Nite Te all about? Nite Te is just all about... It's me now speaking to God, telling him to just defend me, you know, like it was the first song by the way. So as I was entering the music industry I was telling to Nite Te, to defend me, you know, as we had speak earlier, you said that there are so many scandals and whatever. You know, those are the things that I know that me as a human beings, despite me doing gospel and whatever, I will find those challenges. Already I've come across with criticism and such like things, but I can thank God. He's on my side. So it's all about that telling God to be on my side always, despite of challenges and difficulties in life. That is all. So where can people find this song in particular and where can they follow you on your social media platforms? Okay, this song is on YouTube. It's on dundo. Ya. For those who can't approach or can't reach the sites, sometimes when I go to the village, they ask about my music, I give them hard copy. Ya. So they can get them all on YouTube and dundo.com and they can as well follow me on Instagram at josebblessed. It is josebblessed then on Facebook at josebblessed. Twitter, jose Kenyawan then that's all. Amazing. How about you wrap up the show for us by singing nite te? So you have to sing. Ya. Okay. You want me to do it all do just part of it. Ya. This is joseblessed. Thank you. Awesome. Now remember if you want to vote for your favorite rising star, you can do that easily by going to our Facebook page that is rising stars. E.A. and on Facebook page you can do that easily by going to our Facebook page that is rising stars. E.A. and put the name of the artist that you would love to be our rising star and the song for example if you want to vote for joseblessed all you have to do is just begin with the word joseblessed and then you write nite te. So you have to sing. Ya. This is joseblessed. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.