Amid the uncertainty of COVID-19, Skip Marley is pushing ahead with promotion for Vibe , his new song with Popcaan.

After collaborations with high-profile pop stars like Katy Perry and H.E.R., the time seemed right for a project with one of dancehall’s heavyweights.

Released October 1 by Tuff Gong/Island Records, Vibe is produced by Memphis, Tennessee-based Rykeyz, who was also in the director’s chair for Slow Down, Marley’s hit song with H.E.R.

While working on Vibe they agreed that it needed a hard-core Jamaican sound.

“The producer Rykeyz and I started to build the track on an Afrobeat vibe, and when it was time to choose a feature we thought that Popcaan would really match the energy of the song,” Marley told the Jamaica Observer.

He believes the call was right. According to the dreadlocked singer, “ Vibe is a whole feeling. It’s about light and life!”

Co-written by Marley, Rykeyz, Popcaan and rapper Lunchmoney Lewis, Vibe is expected to be included on his first album which is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2022. Anticipation for that set is already high, given the the Billboard success of Slow Down and Chained to The Rhythm, his song with Perry.

Slow Down is part of Higher Place, Marley’s EP which was nominated for a Grammy Award this year.

Vibe is his first song for 2021, unusual for a contemporary artiste with rising stocks. In September, he performed on the long-running Austin City Limits show.

With his yet-titled album in the late stages of production, Marley is preparing for a hectic 2022.

“We’re getting ready to release the video for Vibe. I’m also putting the finishing touches on my debut album, so the plan for the rest of the year is to keep working. In 2022, I’ll be releasing the album and taking the live show to as many stages as possible,” he said.