Nesbeth dreams big
REGGAE singjay Nesbeth is living his dream of having arguably the most popular song in Jamaica today.
Just ask the thousands of patrons who attended Rebel Salute at Grizzly’s Plantation Cove in St Ann, on the weekend. They danced and recited all the lines to his single My Dream.
“Well, words cyaan explain how I feel after performing that song at the time… To see it reach, where thousands of people singing it, the feeling goes way beyond words,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
“I even called my children on stage when I was performing the song…it was the happiest moment in my life in music.”
My Dream was part of Nesbeth’s six-song set which included Ole’ Gangalee, Abuser, Guns Out, Taste Victory and Board House.
Released in October 2015, My Dream is produced on the London-based Entertainment Soul label.
“It is a fusion of reggae and ethnic beats and it represents all the people who wish to live their dream,” said Nesbeth.
He shared his inspiration with the Observer about the track he co-wrote with Merrick Shaw.
“I wasn’t getting the love I think I deserved, musically, but I continued to press on. I was thinking I wanted a song that was different from what is out there. Something away from the pack. I always see myself at a certain level before things start to happen…the line shows after shows, tours after tours came to me. I told Merrick Shaw and we pen things together and it unfold,” said Nesbeth.
“It was like a vibe that came to me, that I really can’t explain. I just knew that I wanted to do something different and, because I wanted to do something different, I had to think outside of the box.”
He said the response has been encouraging.
“The song speaks to people… people come to me tell me how it touch dem… A pastor call me and say a biggest song inna the world and him a guh play it inna him church,” he said.
That shouldn’t surpise the singjay. On the track’s release, Billboard writer Patricia Meschino gave My Dream a nod when she said the single is the hottest ticket in reggae for 2015 going into 2016.
“As for 2016, I plan to hang on to My Dream… I’m close to being booked for the entire year because of My Dream. I have dates in the Caribbean, Canada, UK, Europe and Isreal.”
Nesbeth, whose full name is Greg Nesbeth, grew up in the tough inner-city community of Arnett Gardens in Kingston. He recorded his first single, Reflection of Love, in 1993. He released an EP, Victory, in 2014.
