For the last three months, the world stopped due to the highly contagious nature of the novel coronavirus. In terms of the music business, major tours and festivals were cancelled, and promising careers such as Vincent Darby’s were put on hold.

The 20-year-old British soul singer, whose maternal grandparents are Jamaican, gets a restart today with the release of the song, Still Here We Are.

Darby, who is from Birmingham, has previously released songs including Baby Oh I and Get Away that did well in the United Kingdom. Last year, he toured the United States.

Yet, Still Here We Are is like going back to the drawing board.

“We’re treating this song as my first official single. It’s special because it contains so much of my culture in it. We have a really good PR [public relations] company in the UK and partnerships with companies in key markets to push the record, plus some commissioned remixes for these key markets,” he told the Jamaica Observer’s Splash. “We’re also looking to run something that’s going to be a lot of fun, which is running a dance challenge, so the winner of it will win some money. Readers can go to my IG [Instagram] for more details. We really wanted to do something that people can do regardless of where they are due to COVID-19.”

Still Here We Are was conceived in Jamaica three years ago while Darby was hanging out at Big Yard studio in Kingston. Produced by Canadian Gray Hawken for 7 Long Lane Entertainment, it is a soul song with island trimmings.

In-demand drummer, Kirk Bennett, played on the song, as did Lloyd Parks and We The People’s horn section. Given his fondness for Jamaican music, Darby insisted Still Here We Are should have a dancehall flavour.

“I’ve always been a fan of dancehall music. I’ve always been privy to a lot of different types of dancehall, whether it’s from old school acts such as Chaka Demus and Pliers and newer dancehall such as Popcaan,” he explained.

Last year was Darby’s most robust as an artiste. He did multiple promotions in the UK, followed by a 31-city tour of the US.

“Touring the US was great, getting to see the whole US was something that I was incredibly lucky to do. I got to experience so much and see so much and all while perfecting my craft, which has been something that I give thanks for every day,” he said.