Trudii Harrison was at home in St Ann watching one of the most horrific incidents of 2020 when music producer Cliff Manswell sent her a draft for the new project he was working on.

Its ‘One Drop’ reggae feel appealed to her and made it easy for Harrison to translate her passionate thoughts into lyrics.

“When I received the rhythm I was actually watching the video of George Floyd. I was heartbroken and felt like I had to play my part to get the word out that enough is enough and black lives matter,” she said.

Black Voice is the name of her song which appears on The Message, a seven-track EP scheduled for release today. It is her first song.

Like millions around the world, Harrison was shocked by the brutal nature of Floyd’s death. Floyd, a black man, was suffocated when a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes while three of his colleagues watched on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The incident sparked global protests led by groups like Black Lives Matter, throughout major cities in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Asia.

Harrison is from Brown’s Town, one of St Ann’s main commercial centres. Her musical influences are diverse, from reggae stalwarts Marcia Griffiths and Dawn Penn to Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.

She met Manswell through a mutual friend and after hearing rough versions of her work, the Trinidadian bass player was keen to record songs with her.

Harrison is excited about Black Voice, saying, “It feels really good to know that finally my music can be heard by the world.”

Released by Manswell’s company CKM Infinity Studio, The Message also contains songs by Anthony B, Prezident Brown and Marlon Asher.

— Howard Campbell