Jesse Royal upbeat as No Place Like Home gets a Grammy nod
Singer Jesse Royal was going through his daily routine when he learnt that his third album No Place Like Home had been nominated in the Best Reggae Album category of the 68th Grammy Awards.
“I was drinking my ginger tea, saying my prayers, and doing my meditation and talking to God when I got the news of the nomination. I was just aligning myself for the day ahead. It was definitely a pleasant surprise; I didn’t even remember that today was the day that they would’ve been announcing [the nominations]. God is real, the love of the Almighty never fails, and Jah is worthy to be praised,” Jesse Royal told the Jamaica Observer on Friday.
No Place Like Home is Jesse Royal’s second nomination. He was nominated in 2022 for Royal. And, like Royal, he worked with Dretegs and the Grammy-winning Sean Alaric.
“This one feels a little bit more special simply because it literally came on the heels of me almost losing my life, and mi know say God did have mi then, and mi sure say him have mi now. Mi first nomination, obviously nuttin cyaan special like dat, because is the first. So fi get a second nomination it good fi know say we a mek dat level of work and that quality of music that is easily recognisable by the international ears,” Jesse Royal shared.
No Place Like Home was released August 29 via Easy Star Records. The album has 10 tracks, including collaborations with Romain Virgo, Yohan Marley, Perfect Giddimani, Melanie Fiona, and Kabaka Pyramid.
“Well this is my most intentional project of the three [albums released]. The project really started in a weird way of me hearing of the passing of mi bredda, Jo Mersa Marley. and that kinda led us to a song called Blessing, featuring his younger brother Yohan. But, on a bigger level, is a song reminding you about how precious life is. This entire project was about how I saw life, the music, and the impact it can have. Songs like Art of Love, Light of Mine, and Hope are all songs geared at re-energising and refuelling the people,” Jesse Royal told the Observer.
Jesse Royal’s debut album Lily of Da Valley, released in 2017, topped Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart.
The other nominees in the Best Reggae Album category are Treasure Self Love by Lila Ike, Heart & Soul by Vybz Kartel, Blood & Fyah by Keznamdi, and From Within by Mortimer.
The 68th annual Grammy Awards will take place on February 1, 2026 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
