In late 2007, the world felt the first pangs of what became the Great Recession. The financial crisis started in the United States and triggered global uncertainty.

While not one to watch the markets, Peter G followed the recession’s crippling consequences which included thousands of job losses. It inspired him to write We Can which was released in March by the Irie Pen label.

The song is produced by Peter G who also plays acoustic guitar on it.

“It came about out of a time when I saw people going through struggles and the world was in a recession, so it was a motivational idea to empower myself and people who were struggling,” the singer told Observer Online.

Once he wrote the lyrics, Peter G decided to record We Can unplugged at his home studio. It is his first time playing guitar on his songs.

“My guitar playing is really for writing purposes and in the studios with rehearsals. I will play a few songs in a live performance,” he said.

He credits singer-songwriter Hopeton Lindo, principal of Irie Pen, and engineer-producer Syl Gordon of Cell Block Records, for encouraging him to go the acoustic route. They agreed it would help recall the sombre mood of a desperate period.

Peter G, who has worked extensively in the last 10 years with Lindo and Sly and Robbie’s Taxi Gang, says there is a sense of fulfilment with self-production.

“The advantages of producing yourself are that you get to do what you want and how it feels to you. I did everything including mixing,” he disclosed.

Peter G’s self-titled EP, released in 2025, was co-produced by Lindo and The Taxi Gang.

— Howard Campbell