SSTEDI: Defining Success by Faithful Output, Not Outcomes
- GolDee
- Nov 8, 2024
- 3 min read
With a name birthed from 1 Corinthians 15:58, the rich toned SSTEDI is For The Glory’s Artist of the month for November 2024.
“Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Reflecting on the past with sweet nostalgia, SSTEDI reminisces on her early exposure to musical movie soundtracks like “The Sound of Music”... a time when rewinding tapes to sing along to ‘one more time’, was something she regularly participated in. SSTEDI’s family roots in Jamaica and Florida, accompanied by her upbringing in College Park, MD, and Charlotte, NC, has led to Soul/RnB encompassing her entire life.
Before she knew the Lord, SSTEDI felt His presence on Whitney Houston’s “I Love the Lord” and still does today. Having matured physically, musically, and spiritually since the VHS rewinding days, SSTEDI now encourages herself to not desire anything more than she desires God’s ultimate will for her life.
With an awareness that idolatry is “so easy to fall into”, she has found having a willing and open heart that God can speak into, essential for the field He has placed her in. Confident in her authority in Christ, prayer removes all fear and distractions, leaving room for the Holy Spirit to have His way and speak through her in each performance.
“I’ve learned over time to pray about everything… Prayer is powerful.”
SSTEDI’s light is not bound to audio, or written lyrics, but is shone visually through her aesthetically pleasing videos, posted on her social media channels which combined, have an audience of over 50,000 people. SSTEDI, speaking on social media, describes the tool as “extremely important,” owing to its unique ability to connect us to each other, despite the reality of our physical distance.
Although we love SSTEDI’s eye-catching, yet comforting, visual content that compliments her melodious songs, SSTEDI’s favourite part of the musical process is creating a new song from scratch, all the way to it's completion.
“There’s just this natural sense of satisfaction you feel from not only creating something... but being able to see it to it's completion.”
As an artist whose definition of success is “more output” based, SSTEDI believes that not enough credit is given for finishing what we have started. Without denying that outcomes do matter, SSTEDI focuses on her understanding that God wants to see that she is faithful.
“Success is a journey determined by both output and outcomes (good or bad). The carrot stick keeps moving, allowing outcomes alone to determine your success is a quick way to burnout.”
Impressed by her ability to tell relevant and relatable stories, For The Glory are excited about what's to come from SSTEDI. Curious about what a music video of SSTEDI’s may look like, we asked which biblical account she would use for music video inspiration. SSTEDI’s answer did not fall short, leaving us anticipating a possible ‘story of Joseph’ inspired music video for ‘Holding Me’ her latest single, which we currently have on repeat.
“I think it would have to follow the story of Joseph because his journey was so long and at times it seemed like the promise God showed him in a dream would never come to pass. The EXACT opposite of the promise was happening to him but Joseph stayed faithful and God remained faithful in manifesting the dream He gave him.”
Be sure to follow and check out SSTEDI’s vast and refreshing discography:
