It is not every day you come across a medical professional and dancehall artist. But 26-year-old Jamali has found the perfect balance between his interests and has taken full flight with the release of his latest track “Living the Dream.”
“The reception has been pretty great. I’ve heard quite a number of positive responses that just make me feel proud,” the entertainer said.
Released on January 24, the track was produced by J9 Records. It has an accompanying music video that was directed by Yow Kre8.
The artiste, whose given name is Jah-Marley Knight, is in his third year in pursuit of a degree in nursing at Broward College in Florida. He is also a dialysis technician.
The Spanish Town- born artiste spent a bit of his childhood between Portmore, St. Catherine, and Clarendon, but ultimately spent most of his years in St Elizabeth where he attended Newell High School.
Although he is a medical professional, he said that music was his first love.
“Growing up, there was always music being played in the background, and from a younger age, I was exposed to that. Funny enough, my brother wanted to become an artist. My father also recorded a song way back in the day, and I have cousins who actually do music. I was exposed from a tender age, and as I grew, my interest piqued,” Jamali said.
His musical inspirations are his brother, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Mavado, and Vybz Kartel.
Some of Jamali’s previously released tracks include “Gyallis,” “Revenues,” and “Cómo te llamas.”
With conversations ongoing about the state of modern dancehall, Jamali proposed that the dynamic nature of the genre be embraced.
“Everybody wants to see success, and sometimes when the success doesn’t come in a timely manner people will start to question things but music has always been a thing to evolve over time. In terms of my opinion, the youths are going to do what they want to do at this given time because the masses are reacting to it. If the masses are reacting to it, then it’s something positive. We just have to give them time for the maturity to happen because it’s still in an infancy stage,” he reasoned.
The entertainer who was also billed for Sting Live in December is compiling a body of work to be released this year.
“Supporters can expect versatility and a different array of sounds and topics. That’s my main focus right now. Just expect bangers,” Jamali said.
