For Kirkland Moses, music has never simply been about singing. It has always been about creating space for people to encounter God. As the Save by Grace finalist in the 2026 Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Gospel Star Competition, he hopes people remember far more than his voice.
"Anybody can sound good, but there's a difference when you connect with the Holy Spirit," he said. "That's what I pray for. I don't just want a big voice. I want to connect with God while I sing so that others can feel that connection too."
Born Moses Kirkland Clarke, the gospel minister from Kingston, says his journey into music ministry began almost before he was old enough to understand it. Inspired by his parents, who both served as praise and worship leaders, he developed a love for music from an early age. But his first opportunity to sing almost never came.
"When I was about seven years old, I told my mother I wanted to sing, but she didn't believe me," he recalled with a laugh. So I told one of the church leaders instead.
"The first song I ever sang was Lord Take Me Back to the Place. I was so small they had to put me on a chair. When I started singing, a crowd gathered around me and from then I just kept singing at graduations, conventions and other events."
As he grew older, Kirkland continued developing his gift through church concerts, prayer breakfasts and competitions. In 2008, he represented his school as one of its lead singers in TVJ's All Together Sing, an experience he still describes as an important milestone in his development.
"I do believe that my voice is a divine gift from God to inspire, give hope and spread the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ," he said.
Although he was baptised as a child, Kirkland admits there was a period when he drifted from his faith.
"I didn't go too far, but I drifted," he reflected. "Then I realised that life wasn't for me."
Even during that season, however, music remained part of his life. He served as a drummer before transitioning to the keyboard, never realising that God was preparing him for something greater.
The turning point came through a conversation with a female pastor.
"She said to me, 'It's not just the keyboard and it's not just the drums. You need to tap into what God wants you for. He wants you for ministry.'"
Those words stayed with him long after the conversation ended.
"When I went home, I kept thinking about it and asking myself, 'What is she talking about?' But from that point on, something changed. Whenever I played, I felt something different. I don't know how to explain it, but I felt God moving through the music in a deeper way."
That encounter transformed the way he viewed both music and ministry. Today, Kirkland serves at the Church of Jesus Christ Blessing Plan Ministry on Elgin Road, where he was ordained as a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in December 2025. Looking back, he believes every experience, every song and every lesson was preparing him for God's purpose.
Being named this season's Save by Grace finalist is another milestone in that journey. For Kirkland, it also marks a full-circle moment.
"When I was in primary school, I entered the JCDC Children's Gospel Competition and the judges told me to train my voice and come back another year," he recalled. "Thanks be to God, many years later, here I am again. I am back with my voice equipped with the power of God."
More than winning a competition, he hopes every performance points people to Christ.
"I don't just want people to remember my voice," he said. "I want them to remember the anointing."
Today, as the competition's Save by Grace finalist, Kirkland Moses hopes people remember far more than a powerful voice. He wants them to encounter the God behind every song. His journey from musician to minister is a reminder that when talent is surrendered to God's purpose, every note becomes an opportunity to lead others into His presence.
The 2026 Jamaica Gospel Star Competition airs live every Sunday in July at 8:00 p.m. on Television Jamaica (TVJ) and the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica (PBCJ). Viewers are encouraged to support their favourite contestants by voting each week, with voting numbers and other competition updates posted on the JCDC's social media pages. The competition will culminate on Sunday, August 2, during the Jamaica 64 Independence celebrations at Independence Village, where the Top Four contestants will compete for the Jamaica Gospel Star title. The evening will conclude with the annual Gospel Praise Concert featuring some of Jamaica's leading gospel ministers, before Jamaica's sixth Jamaica Gospel Star is crowned.
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