Recording artiste Kumpliment has always been a fan of dancehall artiste Shawn Storm. After meeting the My Life deejay and realising that they shared common interests, the idea for a collaboration came to fruition.

“The collaboration Happy Life came together through my producer, DJ Lux, who introduced me to Shawn Storm. After hearing the rhythm and discussing the direction we wanted to take it, we felt that our vocals would complement each other and allow the song to shine as much as possible. I handle the two verses, where I shared a snippet of my personal story behind the song and where I come from, while Shawn Storm brings the chorus and reinforces the positive message of choosing a better way of life and keeping faith in God. His part, especially the line, “Fada God, you are my strength’, adds another important piece to the message,” Kumpliment told Observer Online on Wednesday.

“It was a natural collaboration based on what each of us could bring to the record,” said Kumpliment. “I think the combination worked because the song is ultimately about overcoming challenges, staying positive, having faith and appreciating life.”

Kumpliment shared the inspiration behind the song, which has so far racked up close to 300,000 views on YouTube.

“The inspiration behind Happy Life came from my own life and the journey I have taken to get to where I am today. I wanted to make a positive song that would motivate people to choose happiness and appreciate life, but I also wanted people to understand that the message comes from a real place. In the song, I also sing about poverty, which is something that I experienced while growing up as a child in Portland Cottage, Clarendon.

“There were times when life was a real struggle. As a child, I would catch crabs and walk miles upon miles at times, doing what I could to help support my family and also help myself get to school. There were plenty of days when we didn’t know where the food for that day was going to come from. Even something as simple as having your own bed was a luxury I didn’t always have,” Kumpliment disclosed.

Now based in the United States and having made the sacrifice to improve his life, Kumpliment says he wants people to give thanks for what they have and appreciate the people around you.

“Regardless of what I’ve achieved over the years I don’t want the message of Happy Life to be that you have to become wealthy before you can be happy. That’s not what happiness means to me. I want people to know that you can find happiness at every stage of life, regardless of your circumstances. You can be chasing your dreams and working toward something better while still taking moments to enjoy where you are, give thanks for what you have and appreciate the people around you.”

Happy Life was released on June 2 via Brown Team Records and produced by DJ Lux.

“DJ Lux custom-made the beat specifically with the message of the song in mind. We wanted the production to reflect the feeling of the record—to be uplifting, positive and enjoyable while still giving the lyrics room to tell the story. The production was important because we didn’t want the message to feel heavy even though the song touches on some serious realities from my childhood. The goal was to take that story of struggle and turn it into something celebratory and encouraging,” Kumpliment reasoned.

He says the feedback to the song has been overwhelming.

“The response to Happy Life has been extremely positive, and one of the most encouraging parts has been the amount of international support the song has received. We’ve seen significant growth on TikTok since the song was released. I’ve gained more than 50,000 followers on TikTok since the release, and thousands of people have saved and shared the song with others on the platform. That kind of response has been very encouraging because it shows that the message is connecting with people beyond just my immediate audience,” he said.

“We also launched a worldwide dance challenge around the song, where people were encouraged to create their own dance routines using a clip of Happy Life. It was great to see so much talent being shown and to watch people from different places put their own interpretation of the song.”

He added, “For me, the feedback confirms that there is an audience for positive music. People still want music that makes them feel good, gives them hope and reminds them to appreciate life. Happy Life is my contribution to that, and I’m grateful that people are embracing it.”