Life’s daily struggles are chronicled in Add V’s latest single What’s Going On.

It was released in March on the Yawd Block Nation Entertainment label.

“My mom died when I was just nine years old. She was gunned down right before my eyes, it was a very traumatic experience. When I was growing up, I saw many hungry days, but that didn’t stop me from surviving. I could have lost my sanity, but I kept telling myself that I had to survive and that I would make it in life,” the singjay told Jamaica Observer‘s weekly Splash.

While growing up, Add V said music was his source of comfort.

“Music was the only thing that I could resort to, to relieve the pain, I felt inside. Eventually, I began to go wherever I could get a chance to be around music. It’s like the music kept pulling me in and very soon I began singing. That’s how I got into music,” he said.

Add V believes that positive thinking and perseverance are two of the main ingredients necessary for achieving success.

The singjay, whose given name is Sudar Longshaw, hails from the tough inner-city community of Barrett Town in Montego Bay.

He made his recording debut in 2013 with the song Bun Di Fire for Germany-based Weedy G label.

A former student of the Anchovy High School, he has released songs including Life Journey and Dada (featuring Teejay and Don Tippa).

His seven-track EP, What’s Going On, is expected to be released this summer.

— Kevin Jackson