Delta State University graduate Scottie Willis and the group R.E.A.P. (Really Excited About Praise) are on the first-round ballot for 2019 Grammy Awards. Their recording, The Live Experience, has made the initial cut in the categories of Best Gospel Album and Best Gospel Performance/Song for the single, “Your Help.”
Willis graduated with a degree in interdisciplinary studies from Delta State in 2016 and then moved to Jackson, Mississippi, to work and continue making music with R.E.A.P. The vocal group was formed in 2011 from college students and young adults from the Jackson area. They travel regionally, performing covers as well as original songs. The recording of The Live Experience took place in spring 2017.
“It all started with GRAMMY U,” a program that connects college students with industry professionals, Willis explained. “As a Delta State student, my focus was education, but I always had a special place in my heart for music. So my senior year, I decided to take a course in the Delta Music Institute (DMI) entertainment industry program, and the course I chose was the Craft of Songwriting, taught by DMI Director Tricia Walker. This course exposed me to so much musically, helped me to hone my writing skills, and ultimately led to my joining GRAMMY U.”
A former classmate encouraged Willis to become a voting member of the Recording Academy, the organization that oversees the Grammy process. After becoming a member, Willis submitted an application for the R.E.A.P. project to be considered for the Grammy ballot. The Academy’s voting members, all involved in the creative and technical processes of recording, participate in the nominating process that determines the five finalists in each category and the final voting process that determines the winners. The 61st Grammy Awards ceremony will take place on Feb. 10, 2019 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The Live Experience was released in May and Willis has been focused on letting the public know that the album is a Mississippi-made project. “From the singers and soloists to the engineer, producers, musicians, and even myself as the writer, I wanted to show the world there is an amazing amount of talent in our state,” he said.
An example of that talent is one of the featured soloists on the project, Audri Johnson, a senior DMI entertainment industry major from Grenada. “Being a part of R.E.A.P. provided me with multiple opportunities to perform and network with others,” she said. “Scottie encouraged me to audition for [the student run] Fighting Okra Records where I was selected as the label artist in 2015-16. That led to performances at the GRAMMY Museum® at L.A. Live! and GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi. So this experience really is like coming full circle.”
The Live Experience has also garnered two Mississippi Gospel Music Award nominations and four Rhythm of Gospel Music Award nominations.
Audri Johnson
