The Premier Gospel Awards 2025 lit up indigo at The O2 last Friday, turning the venue into something far more than a concert hall. It was a night where gospel music’s power to uplift, challenge and unite was on full display. And while the evening brimmed with standout performances, it was Blanca’s closing set with Melodees from Heaven that left the deepest imprint.
Of course, Blanca wasn’t the only artist to leave a mark. Guvna B and Keisha Buchanan brought grit and polish in equal measure with their collaboration, while Ghetts and Sam Henshaw sent shockwaves of energy through the crowd. Yet it was Blanca and Melodees from Heaven who offered the night’s most transcendent moment.
Blanca’s voice cut through with a clarity and conviction that silenced the room before lifting it back into jubilant praise. Their rendition of Richard Smallwood’s Total Praise was a collective act of worship, each note steeped in emotion and reverence. You could feel the audience surrendering to the music, swaying, standing, and in many cases, singing along.
Blanca’s presence on that stage felt significant in more ways than one. As the first Latina nominated for Best International Artist, she carried both cultural pride and a sense of breaking new ground, her artistry embodying gospel’s reach beyond borders. Her blend of Latin rhythms, pop sensibility, and raw gospel power brought variety to the night and expanded the conversation about what gospel can sound like, and who it speaks for.
The Premier Gospel Awards call themselves a cultural homecoming, but this year’s finale also felt like a vision of gospel’s future: diverse, borderless, and unafraid to move both heart and body. Blanca was at the heart of that vision, and in London, she made it impossible to ignore.