FLORIDA, United States — Florida-based reggae artiste Onyx Brown said he was inspired to write the single Blue Moon after experiencing the relatively rare ‘blue moon’ lunar phenomenon.

“The inspiration for Blue Moon was an actual blue moon. My manager Shellon and I were inspired to write this song one night after we were driving on the waterfront at Cape Canaveral in Florida in August last year. People from all over came to Cape Canaveral, they were so excited, camped out close to the water watching the moon high in the sky, just fascinated by it,” the artiste whose real name is Garth Brown, said.

The crooner recently released Blue Moon via digital streaming platforms through the United States (US) indie label, Music Farm International. The dreamy track is the first single from his upcoming album, Onyx Brown: Many Moods.

Visuals have also been released simultaneously with the single to amp up promotion in the Caribbean and international diaspora markets. The response has been encouraging so far.

Said Brown, “Blue Moon is receiving a lot of positive vibes and anticipation, our fans are very excited about it, over 85,000 views in only seven days”.

Brown was given the name ‘Onyx Brown’ by Shellon, his manager and the chief executive officer of Music Farm International. He grew up in the community of White Hall, St Thomas where he attended Morant Bay High. He hails from a strong Christian background, where he sometimes attended church three times in a week. During his teens, he developed his natural musical skills, mastering four instruments.

“At church, I was also a musician playing the guitar, the bass, and sometimes drums. As time progressed, I also practiced keyboard, and over the years, I have advanced to become a studio engineer,” Brown revealed.

A natural songwriter and music producer, he released his first song, ‘Troubled Waters’ in 2001 but the song was not well promoted. He continued to hone his craft over the years, releasing three albums over this span.

He eventually became one of reggae’s innovating and influential guiding lights with the high quality productions churned out from his Name Brand Recording Studio in Westmoreland.

During that period, he recorded the popular juicy cuts – Crazy Love, Loving You and Ghetto Cry.

Onyx Brown has a broad musical palette as he experiments with multiple genres including reggae, lover’s rock, R & B and world music.

“I am a multi-talented artiste, who plays live instruments in my music, like acoustic guitar, drums, keyboard and bass, plus I am a studio engineer. My music is basically for everyone, because I experiment with different genres,” he said.

Onyx Brown has been the recipient of several awards in the pop variety competitions in Jamaica. Over the years, he has performed at various venues in Jamaica and internationally, alongside top notch reggae and dancehall artistes. He has had standout performances on shows such as Reggae on the River California, Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica, Lucie on the Harbor Kite Festival, and Drums for Peace.

He has worked with an impressive array of artistes such as Singing Honour, Taurus Riley, Charlie Chaplin, Leroy Smart, Super Blacks, Jah Mason, Eddie Fitzroy, Glen Washington, Jackie Whyte, Everton Blender, Isha Blender and more. He has distributed several albums with VP Records since 2012.

There are plans to tour to support his album on the vibrant reggae scene in California, as well as upcoming gigs in the Caribbean, Europe, and Africa.