Platinum soul singer and actor Major Johnson Finley — better known as “MAJOR.” — is well known for his hit song “Why I Love You.” But he has a new message to spread.
Finley’s new single, “I Prayed For You,” is a message to the ones he loves and the world: we’re going to be OK.
“Hope ain’t ever canceled. That’s my message. They call me the hope dealer, and so ‘I Prayed For You’ is that hope anthem for us to get back into the mindset of ‘the win’ and to know that you are loved and you’re cared for,” Finley said.
The message is especially important to share at this time of year, Finley said, when people are often introspective and reflect on what they’ve done.
“You start to look and take inventory on all the things that have happened for us — and we often get stuck on all the things that aren’t or haven’t happened,” he said. “And I just want to encourage people to lock in on the baseline that is goodness.”
Recently, Finley said he’s been taking his own advice. Between releasing his single, costarring in the new film “A Heart for Christmas” and making a special appearance in First Baptist Church of Glenarden’s annual Christmas production of “Someway Somehow” in Maryland, the artist has had quite a bit of his own reflecting to do.
Popular gospel artist Anthony Brown cowrote and created the Christmas musical. Finley said when Brown reached out asking if he’d be interested in working on the play, he didn’t know what to expect.
“I got to rehearsals, and I saw the set, and it wasn’t just some little church where you got that little haystack and some statue animals. They had the full kit and caboodle. It was just — it was wild to see. And I was grateful to be amongst this incredible cast and ensemble of actors.”
Finley costarred beside Kim Burrell, Johnathon McReynolds and more for the two-day production. The play tells the story of Mary finding out she was pregnant followed by the birth of Jesus. He played one of the three wise men and said he had just over two weeks to prepare for the role.
Finley said the production, which ran from Dec. 13-15, was a hit.
“I just heard that they might be workshopping it for Broadway. And I’m telling you, it is Broadway ready,” he said.
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