Local reggae sensation Gay Melody Man Harewood will launch his first album at the end of next month. The album entitled Message, features all self-penned songs by the former Richard Stoute Teen Talent winner that speak to the upliftment of people of African descent.
Melody Man said: “It is what people call conscious music that promotes African roots, consciousness, upliftment and spirituality; also an awareness of one’s history and culture – not focusing solely on issues about Barbados like some calypsonians.”
Manager Ervin Goddard of Mango Media Music said the 11-track album is being produced by Roy Davis and mastered by Denis Bovell. There are two singles to be released at the end of the month: Your Joy and Gimme My Roots.
Goddard said: “We are now fine-tuning his productions and preparing him for the international market, and to work with international producers. The 11-track album is slated to be adjusted to include more tracks which are still in the works.
“Meanwhile the music videos for the two singles to be released at the end of the month are already complete.”
Melody Man has big plans for his music. I want to take the music all over the planet, wherever the music takes me. I cannot stay in Barbados; the planet is a very big place and I want to make my music known.
“Plans are afoot for a Caribbean and Latin American tour to promote the album, following on to Europe, Japan, China and Africa; but will be starting in the Caribbean from the end of November.”
The artiste who was onstage from 1992 in the Andrea King-Dragon Stout Promotion Show, then moved on to the Richard Stoute Teen Talent in1994 which he won singing the Denis Brown hit How Could I Leave?.
Other exploits included singing with the group Black Amali that moved from being called Rebel Union to Third Stone, because the members were constantly changing and going and coming, with people dropping out then coming back.
“I would like to form another band; but this time I need men who are stable. As time goes on and I am touring, I will definitely see the need for a full time band,” he said.
Melody Man has a deep appreciation for all types of music, from jazz to hip hop to rap.
“I like good music, but it needs to have good lyrics too. I find that there are songs that may have a good beat, but then what the person is singing is not moving me I will get tired of it, there must be something stimulating and inspiring.
“My number one music is reggae; I grew into the spiritual as I got older and Rastafari by listening to artists such as Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. They have inspired me, and that is why the lyrics in my music are so uplifting.
The album has three love songs: Someone Like You, I Do and All For Love. While the track Gimme My Roots brings us back to who we are as a people. Melody Man noted: “All of us are one people. I do not accept separation in society from colonial powers, but have no hatred of color of skin or nationality.
“I would like to get the message across especially to black people that for too long we have been under colonial rule.”