Before Jemere Morgan debuted as lead singer for Morgan Heritage at the Barbados Reggae Festival last Sunday he grasped the magnitude of his new gig.

His uncle Peetah, the man he succeeded, held that position for over 30 years.

The band selected Jemere to assume that role after Peetah’s death in February.

The son of Morgan Heritage keyboardist/vocalist Gramps Morgan, he said while he performed on shows with the Grammy winners before, doing a full set as lead singer was different.

“It was my first time performing beside my Dad for a whole 75 minutes. My uncle sang with a different energy and conviction, so over the past couple of weeks in rehearsals I realised what a beast he was, trying to sing these songs. The stamina and power he sang with was a different type of power, so that was the most challenging part of the rehearsal process — making sure I had enough oxygen and power to sing,” he told the
Jamaica Observer.

Peetah Morgan, along with brothers Gramps and Lukes and sister Una, formed the nucleus of Morgan Heritage, whose members are children of singer Denroy Morgan, best known for the 1981 reggae-funk hit single, I’ll Do Anything For You. He died in 2022.

Like his father, uncles and aunt, Jemere was born in the United States but spent a lot of his youth in Jamaica.

He was a child when Morgan Heritage hit the charts with a series of songs, including Don’t Haffi Dread, She’s Still Loving Me and Down By The River.

Once confirmed as the group’s new frontman, he got some advice from his bandmates.

“One of the key points during rehearsals was for me to have fun; don’t make it that serious. Just have fun being myself, singing these songs,” said Jemere.

Singing since his teens, he has released one album and a number of singles to date.

He is currently working on an album produced by Damian Marley, with that project’s first single, Higher We Go, release last Friday.

Morgan Heritage’s next show is on June 28 in The Hamptons, New York.