Global turmoil gets the attention of Empress Miriam Simone on

While disturbed by the ongoing bloodshed between Israel and Palestinian militants, Russia and Ukraine, the Surinamese singer tells the Jamaica Observer that high homicide rates around the world remain among her concerns.

“This song I wrote for everyone who ever lost someone, and I hope to inspire the people who live by the gun to choose good over evil because we are all Jah children. The choices you make will decide your future and will get written in your book of life,” said Empress Miriam Simone.

The Afrocentric artiste has lived in Amsterdam for many years and has travelled to Jamaica several times to work with producers such as Bobby Digital and Sheldon “Calibud” Stewart.

In recent months, she has collaborated with Scott, a protégé of legendary engineer/producer Osbourne “King Tubby” Ruddock.

Stop The Shooting, done to the music of Bob Marley’s Crazy Baldhead, is Empress Miriam Simone’s first released single for Sound System Club.

Having lost two uncles to violence, she empathises with individuals who have experienced similar pain and addressed the issue of easy access to guns.

“We have a lot of illegal firearm activity here in Amsterdam. People are getting into these situations because of frustrations, domestic violence, or sometimes financial problems. It’s better not to own a gun. Those who live by gun usually die by the gun,” she declared.

Originally from Paramaribo, Suriname’s capital, Empress Miriam Simone’s early influences include Bob Marley, the I Three, and Sizzla.

She worked with Bobby Digital on her 2012 EP, Follow My Dreams, as well as Amsterdam Revival, her album which was released eight years later.

— Howard Campbell