Xavier Persad

Xavier Persad's involvement with music and singing began as early as he can remember. "As a child, I remember my entire family - mom, dad, my four brothers and my four sisters - gathering nightly to have bible study and sing praises to God...We had a choir in our living room every night - it was awesome!" It is at these family gatherings that Xavier's love and appreciation for music ignited.At age fifteen, Xavier penned his first song. "I just felt compelled to write about the indescribable hope that God offers humanity...it was amazing to me how easily the words and melody came. I couldn’t believe how much of a connection with God I felt just by penning a simple song in my bedroom…Soon, songwriting became a therapy for me, a way to connect to God and people on the deepest level.”Just months later, a burning desire emerged in Xavier’s heart – the desire to play the piano. “I was visiting a church in my hometown of Orlando, FL. I walked in and saw Angie Taylor – now a great friend and fellow musician – playing the piano and leading worship. I was amazed at the heavenly sounds that pierced through to my innermost being. I thought, ‘I would love to do that someday.’” Inspired and determined, Xavier set out to learn the piano.Remarkably, in just a few months, Xavier was playing the piano and singing at that very same church as the Youth Choir Leader. “I couldn’t believe how far God had taken me. I had no formal training – not on the piano, not in songwriting, and not in youth ministry; it was just me and God, and that was more than enough. I am still astounded beyond words – to have discovered the thing that makes me the happiest, that I enjoy more than anything else in the world.”