REGGAE singer Ky-Mani Marley will be using his performance at Ky-mani Live in Portland on May 17 to introduce his fans to Get High.

The track, the first from his yet-to-be named album, is scheduled for August.

Marley, speaking from his Florida base, describes the single as a feel-good song featuring cross-over elements grounded in a strong Jamaican dancehall flavour.

“I can’t say my music has a particular style as I a fan of music in general, so I pull influences from everywhere — country, R&B, everything — and just season it as reggae. I just try to be creative and innovative,” he said.

According to Marley, the tracks all have the central theme of love and is geared to a female audience while keeping an edge that will appeal to male listeners.

“It’s a lot of ‘Ras-mantic’ songs on this album… that’s it, I might just call the album Ras-mantic,” he chuckled.

Marley admits that reggae continues to ‘get a fight’ in the marketplace, but noted that this genre can never die.

“We have a lot of young artistes out there doing good things… Protoje, I-Octane and others out there keeping it real and burning the fire. But we sometimes beat ourselves and then point a finger. We have to be more creative. Stand up in the path set by those who went before us like Peter Tosh and Burning Spear and Gong. Remember, reggae is a music of righteousness, rebellion and represents the grassroots, so it will always get a fight. We have to understand that,” he said.

As for his May concert, Marley is preparing to treat his patrons to “great vibes, a variety of sounds and a range of emotions.”

Marley, son of reggae king Bob Marley, has acting credits including Shottas (opposite Spragga Benz and Paul Campbell) and One Love (with Cherine Anderson).

He said he has been getting some offers but nothing has been definitive.

“Once I get this album out, I will definitely be paying more attention to the acting side of my career,” he said.