Durrant Pate/ Contributor

Reigning dancehall queen, Spice, is ditching her signature blue look and “loud” persona this year, as she embraces gospel music. 

Spice, whose real name is Grace Latoya Hamilton, is known for her risqué lyrics and performances. She recently surprised fans with another gospel single, God Don’t Play About Me. Her first Christian single, You Are Worthy, ” debuts on her album Mirror 25 in 2024. While speaking exclusively with PEOPLE on Monday, January 19, the 43-year-old Grammy-nominated musician revealed that she has not only ditched the old personality but is also embracing a new genre of music: gospel.

“You Are Worthy,’ which was my first gospel song, was extremely well received,” Spice tells PEOPLE. Referring to God Don’t Play About Me, Spice says, “This one, I would say, it’s different in terms of the beat. This is more up-tempo. This is more like a full-blown worship song where you’d grab your tambourine…There are certain songs that call you to be calm and reverent and just invite the Holy Spirit, but this one makes you want to get up and dance and sing and shout and grab a tambourine and jump around.”

In the music video for the song, Spice is seen alongside her family and famous friends, including Rasheeda and Kirk Frost, Sierra Glam Shop and Xzavia Thomas, Shekinah Jo and Jessie Woo. The much-celebrated queen of the dancehall revealed that the song was influenced by the music she heard growing up in Portmore, Jamaica, such as Sister Scully’s gospel song Hurry Up.

The mother of two children, a son, aged 18 and a 14-year-old daughter, tells PEOPLE that she tries to attend church every other Sunday and has been encouraging her children to embrace Christianity. “My mom always made sure that every Sunday I’d reach Sunday school growing up,” Spice recalls, adding, “I have instilled that also in my children, so it’s a family tradition thing. It’s passing from generation to generation. The only time I don’t go to church is if I’m on tour or I have a performance, but if I’m home, I’m going to church with my family.”

Spice adds, “I wish they would put me in the choir because I have a loud voice, but I think I get shy when it comes to that type of setting. Hopefully, I’ll find my way into the choir one day.” Spice, who attends Now Faith Apostolic Church in Atlanta, reported that her gospel songs have proven popular with her regular audience while also garnering new Christian fans. She told the media outlet that her songs have also been used in TikTok videos by people sharing their encounters with God, noting, “I just smile reading their testimony and seeing more people just open up about God…I feel like I made a bold move as a dancehall artiste. They see me and are like, ‘Hey, my artiste is talking about her testimony. I can share mine.”

According to Spice, people have been sending her positive messages regarding her latest single. “This is their worship song. So, I’m pretty excited about it. However, in everything you do, you are going to also have mixed reviews. So, some people may drop a comment, ‘Hey, I’m a dancehall artiste. I should not be doing gospel’. But for me, I always tell them about Matthew 7 from the Bible that says, ‘Judge not, that ye be judged,’ because God is all about your heart,” the female dancehall star remarked.

Responding to naysayers

“Some people may see the colors that I wear, all the clothes that I wear, and feel like I am not worthy to sing a gospel song, but my heart is pure, and the Bible tells me that He came to call us to repentance and so I don’t listen to the naysayers,” Spice laments, admitting that she plans to continue the risqué performances she’s known for, but will close shows with her gospel music.

“I think that’s a good way to send people home; tell them to get home safe and remember to praise. I see myself performing this around the world. [When] I go on tour, I never pick and choose like, this song is for this place or whatever. Everywhere I go, I try to spread the Word of God,” revealing her dream collaborators for future gospel music include CeCe Winans, Grace Thrillers and Jekalyn Carr.

“I have plans to release a gospel album…I’ll keep dropping the singles and see which one people prefer until I can know how to put the album together. I’m not an expert in gospel song, but I am an expert in worshipping God, and I will continue to package it in the best way possible that I can until I know. Okay, this is really what it is. I’m ready for an album,” Spice says.

Alongside her music and starring in Love and Hip-Hop: Atlanta, Spice is the owner of the clothing brand Graci Noir and runs a nonprofit foundation named after herself. The multifaceted entertainer’s shift toward gospel music comes as she ditches her signature blue look for a new alter ego. Last Friday, January 23, Spice released the song “Soft Girl Era” to unveil her transformation.