Omega Edwards discusses her music and its purpose
Omega Edwards, Con-Ed ’22, believes her music can help people on their life’s journeys. Edwards sat down with The Journal to discuss her work, the gospel industry, and the expectations she faces as a Black artist.
“Singing and writing music allows me to communicate words that I don’t know how to say. It tends to capture people’s attention more easily than when I speak,” Edwards said.
Edwards first discovered her musical talents in kindergarten. Since then, she has used music to express herself and to stay grounded in a chaotic world. Many of her tracks are about the struggles of life, with her Christian faith remaining a central theme.
“The act of writing a song and having a melody come to me made everything okay; it is my peace,” she explained.
“With some of the music I write, it’s centred around the ‘struggle,’ it is hard to get through each day. Because I am a Christian, I always direct it back to my faith, and I recognize that the ‘struggle’ is real, but so is God.”
Performing has always been important to Edwards. She believes her time at Queen’s has taught her how to connect with an audience and communicate the feelings of her music.
“The music program at Queen’s taught me to keep my eyes open when I’m singing,” she said.
“Singing in church, the person singing will often close their eyes to show their passion and worship of God. I got very comfortable with closing my eyes, but by practicing opening my eyes [during performances], I learned to better connect with the audience.”
Coming to Queen’s also expanded Edwards’ musical horizons and skill set.
“I had no background in classical music,” she said. “By learning classical music, I could apply those techniques to my own music. An example is improving my head voice.”
This growth applies to writing lyrics, too.
“I like to write music that is substantial […] my music is not intended to be catchy. It’s supposed to speak to your soul,” Edwards said.
These qualities can be heard in Edwards’ latest track, “God.” The song is about being accustomed to one’s surroundings and is a reflection on her
personal experiences.
“I was in my first year of university, and I was getting accustomed to the environment at Queen’s,” she said. “I don’t come from a partying background, and I was worshipping, and thinking about how the world works […] I thought of a scripture in the Bible, and the words started to flow.”
Edwards believes her style of gospel music is crucial to her identity and is a form of empowerment for her and the Black community. She sees a clear relationship between the gospel music industry and entrepreneurship.
“Gospel music is an extension of entrepreneurship, in the sense that the Black community has always been striving to ‘make it,’” she said. “It is good and inspiring music that says, ‘you can make it too,’ and it happens to be made
by Black artists.”
As a Black artist, Edwards also recognizes the challenges of the music industry for racialized folks.
“Generational wealth and success don’t come as easily to Black people as white people,” Edwards said.
“As a white person, you always look the part. If I were to go to an event, I would have to spend extra time looking a certain way. There’s a higher chance that I might not be well received by society because I dress comfortably.”
Edwards believes gospel music and her music should be universal for all people. It’s true beauty is in its ability to spread joy.
“Joy comes from within. It can’t be altered by external events. Gospel music is able to impart joy within us and a peace of mind that can’t be taken away.”
