To celebrate his 40-year milestone in music,

veteran singer Echo Minott had put plans in motion for a major concert in

France on July 3. But with the coronavirus pandemic sweeping nations left and

right, the toaster is uncertain about the staging of the event.

“Maybe I’ll have to cancel it. Boy, mi nuh know, but mi a watch it first cause the date is still set,” Minott told BUZZ. “In France lockdown, yuh cya move. If yuh a go move, yuh haffi go online and fill out a paper from the government and tell them what you’re gonna do, and when you go on the road you have to show them that. A di sign of the times, a di microchip now man.”

Minott, who moved to France about a decade

ago, chose Paris as the city for the concert, which is dubbed ‘Echo Minott and

Friends’. The roster includes acts from Jamaica and France, including Johnny P,

Natural Black, Horace Martin, Lord Sassafrass, Little John, Talee and Katinka

Lioness. Sound systems Black Scorpio and King Shiloh are also advertised to

take part.

The concert is part of the year-long celebrations to commemorate Minott’s musical journey. He also intends to stage a Jamaican concert and is two albums down on the four albums he wants to release this year. The albums will host a total of 40 songs, comprising new music and favourites from his catalogue like Hidden Treasures and My Lover.

While most of his contemporaries are in

Jamaica where restricted movement is highly enforced, Minott said he has since

relocated to his residence in The Netherlands, where it is not as restricting.

“Mi leave France cause mi did feel seh it a go lockdown,” he said. “It’s much better here in The Netherlands. Yuh free up and can move and don’t have to sign up anything to go outside.”

Minott, whose given name is Noel Phillips, embarked on a music career in 1980, working with King Jammy on the album Youthman Vibration. He is known for his versatility across reggae and dancehall and is behind hits like Lazy Body, What The Hell, Man In Love and Farmer Man.