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Today, his fans may see a calm, measured man but many years ago, Shane ‘Rizon’ Gibson was a young trouble-maker who fought through primary and secondary school. The Gospel entertainer was a rebellious youth. When he was forced to repeat subjects just to be able to get into an A Levels class, he decided it was time to “straighten up.” Here is the story of the defiant young man, who has gone on to become a purpose-driven, motivational Gospel entertainer. This is how he moved to a “higher level”.

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For most of my childhood and teenage years, Belmont Valley Road was home. I lived there with my mother, uncle and brother. My mother is a very strong Christian woman who raised us knowing about God. Despite her best efforts, my environment did have an impact on me and while I forged some amazing wholesome friendships in the area, I did not always associate with a positive crowd. In primary school, I was involved in a lot of fights. That behaviour continued in secondary school.

“I had to change my outlook on life”

Reality hit, when I received my CXC results and I did not get my full certificate. I managed to build an unfavourable reputation with the school administration due to my many run-ins with the deans and the principal. Needless to say, I was not accepted to repeat form five. I don’t blame them at all, the teachers at Queen’s Royal College were more than patient with me. I had just caused too much trouble. My mother who was always by my side, encouraged me not to give up. After attempting one more CXC subject and eventually succeeding, I was accepted to do A Levels at South East Port of Spain Secondary (SEPOS). SEPOS will always have a special place in my heart because they were willing to take a chance on me. I was determined to make my mother and my new school proud. I had to change my outlook on life.

“I started to develop a greater sense of purpose”

The two years I spent in Sixth Form at SEPOS were life changing for me in many ways. The school gave me responsibilities which instilled a greater sense of value in me.  I was even made a prefect. The teachers will never know what that tiny badge did for my self-esteem. The youth who was once breaking rules, was now a prefect, enforcing rules.

I would never forget the time a classmate invited the entire class to his church. I did not want to go but I knew many others were not going, so I went out of obligation. My decision to go to church that day changed the direction of my life. Studying the bible allowed me to see myself from a different point of view and I started to develop a greater sense of purpose. The energy I previously used to channel into negative things, was now being directed into positive things. God really lifted me off the ground and took me to a higher level.

“You are a traitor”

When I became a Christian, many people were amazed. Some of my friends were surprised by the changes in me. The difference was like night and day, apparently. My immediate family embraced these changes because my relationship with them vastly improved. While my family and close friends appreciated the change, a few of my former ‘associates’ felt disrespected because I distanced myself. I had a few awkward, difficult, and at times, dangerous run-ins with a few of them post-baptism. Fortunately, around that time, my decision to become a Christian coincided with my family moving out of Belmont; therefore allowing a true, fresh start for me.

Inspiration from positive models

When I left certain negative influences behind, I felt that I had a renewed sense of purpose which needed to be fulfilled. I started making new friends and interacting more with people who inspired and encouraged me to do and be better. I admired them for their optimism, confidence and focus. Since many of them were in university, I started thinking seriously about tertiary education and how to fund it because at that time, Dollar For Dollar was the programme in place to assist with tuition expenses. GATE was not in the picture. It meant I had to provide half of the funding for the programme on my own. After working in banking for two years, I was finally able to apply to The UWI, St Augustine where I read for a Management Studies degree. Thanks to bursaries, grants and vacation employment, I was able to cover the tuition and some living expenses for the duration of the programme.

Pursuing tertiary education required a level of hard work, determination and sacrifice that I did not experience before. At the end of the three years, I became more confident and articulate. The group projects, as challenging as they were at the time, helped me to develop people management and interpersonal

Finding my voice

When I became a Christian in my late teens, I started to study the fundamentals of music. I sang every day in the house, in church and with my friends. As I entered my 20s and became more active in church and ministry, I realised that my voice and talents could be utilized to inspire others who were downtrodden or at a low point in their lives.

The year after I graduated from UWI, I got married to an angel and formally launched my music career. My first single “Reach” was launched and became popular on the Christian stations and even secular stations because of its encouraging messages of hope and positivity. Life took a different turn after that single and since then, I have been able to use my voice locally and across the world to engender positive vibes and encourage persons going through tough times. My music seems to resonate with many people. I cannot tell you how many times people told me how my music took them through some low points in their lives; suicidal intentions, unemployment, divorce etc. I am confident that this is my calling. I was meant to use my gifts and talents to inspire others and I am privileged that my music is able to meet people right where they are. Being a gospel music minister has saved my life and I am happy that I can remain grounded and humble.

“They continue to speak to my heart and help me every step of the way”

Throughout this musical journey, I have been fortunate to have spiritual mentors who possess strong values of integrity, hard work and professionalism. I have also taken inspiration from many people locally and internationally. My friends and family have been great blessings as they continue to speak to my heart and help me every step of the way. It is unfortunate that there isn’t a strong “mentorship culture” in T&T. Still, I believe that young people should seek out individuals who they wish to emulate. I learned over the years that if you want mentorship, you have to go after it and that in itself, requires humility.

“Being a musical artiste, can be a real risk”

Being a locally-based ‘independent’ entertainer, is not easy and has its share of challenges. A lack of sufficient attention to local content, can make it a difficult passion to pursue. While the Christian music stations support local gospel artistes and make an effort to play local gospel music, secular stations don’t give as much attention to non soca/dancehall music. Radio airplay which can considerably boost the popularity of one’s music, is largely outside of our control and because music production and marketing can be so expensive, it makes being a musical artiste a real risk. Some artistes live day to day, week to week, and gig to gig. In these challenging economic times, where there are restrictions with live performances and engagements, we as entertainers have to become more creative and prudent in our decision making, while at the same time finding a way to reach our audiences and minister to those who continue to rely on us for motivation and encouragement.

To that young person who wants to become an entertainer, I wish to recommend mentorship as it can fast-track your progress and prevent many of the traps along the way. Whatever you are going through, someone else has gone through it before. There are big lessons you can learn just through conversations with the right people. Therefore, you should intentionally pursue the right people and consider the specific areas for growth in your life. Develop a keen eye for those who are not only strong in those said areas but share similar values.

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Since his first single ‘Reach’ hit the airwaves, Rizon has become a multi-award winning artiste and over the last fourteen years, has been recognized as one of the premiere gospel music ministers in the Caribbean region. Rizon has also performed around the world and has shared the stage with several Grammy, Dove and Stellar awardees. Rizon has released many other songs such as “Who Got This”, “Whole Day”, “Overflow”, “Higher Level” and “No Entry”, which have had over three million views on YouTube. You can visit YouTube to see some of Rizon’s uplifting hits or scroll over to his IG page: rizonmusic for updates.

Today, in addition to his music ministry, Rizon is also a Psychotherapist with extensive professional experience in assisting children, adults, couples and families with a diverse range of life issues. His visibility as a recording artiste and as a role model, continues to provide him with numerous opportunities to offer guidance and inspiration.