Belinda Brady is pleased with the favourable reaction to Family Love , released in June on the ReggaeXclusive label.

Daughter of Carl Brady, a founding member of Byron Lee and the Dragonnaires, she said the project was dedicated to his memory.

“This song is dedicated to my father, his love for life, and his jolly sense of humour was not only infectious, it was copacetic.” It is with unreserved honour that we dedicate Family Love to him and his work as a musician, a father, a family elder, and a man of love and faith,” said Brady.

She said the project is really a “gift of love” as several family members contributed their lyrics and energy to make the project a reality.

“In August 2020, when COVID-19 was at its peak and no one really understood the crippling effects of the pandemic. The lockdowns in almost every country in the world and people being separated from their families brought chaos, confusion, and anxiety. Many lost their loved ones in a short space of time. Some could only wave goodbye for the last time before they transitioned from the Earth,” Brady said.

The visuals for the project were shot in three different countries – United States, Jamaica, and Canada.

“It was a blast, and it kept us occupied while the world was masked by the increasing COVID-related casualties. This was our way to stay together and come together in strength and “unity of family and community. I hope that this song will help to heal the world, especially when we offer it as a gift of love,” she said.

Born in Jamaica, she grew up on the island before migrating to live in Canada. She was raised in a dynamic musical family, having watched her mother, the great Jamaican rhumba queen, Madam Wasp, dancing on stage, and seeing her father Carl Brady perform.

Her father died in 2019 at 91.

“How proud my father would have been to see the camaraderie and unity we cultivated with this song. His passion for music impacted me enormously and his legacy continues to live on,” she said. “I knew that, even after his passing, all the celebrations of his life were still not enough for this great man and that we still had to do something very special for him.”