Up Next: Kevoy Clarke spreading love through reggae
Known for promoting love and unity, reggae music has gained another ambassador to spread the message.
Up-and-coming artiste Kevoy Clarke said that while his earliest memory of singing was in church around age eight, his mother said he has been singing since he was three.
He would continue to hone his singing skills throughout his teens and began to learn the intricacies about music while attending Old Harbour High. This was also in preparation for the school choir which aimed to enter the All Together Sing competition in 2016.
It was through this experience that Clarke fell in love with reggae, and by extension lovers’ rock, and decided that he would pursue a career in the genre.
“We (Old Harbour High) won that year and from there I really fell in love with reggae music, as well as the passion to sing and perform. The feeling even got me thinking that I wanted to join Rising Stars and pursue music differently,” Clarke recounted.
While he opted out of the singing competition, Clarke began learning how to play instruments instead. He began with the keyboard, before settling with the guitar.
The 19-year-old told OBSERVER ONLINE that he is partially self-taught, but also received tutoring from a music teacher.
This was just the beginning for Clarke, whose aim is to become an international reggae artiste.
“My aim is to become an international artiste and I am getting there. I am not going to rest until I get that and even when I become an international artiste I am not going to rest,” Clarke vowed.
And he is well on his way.
Clarke signed with legendary producer Jack Scorpio when he was 17 years old. He told OBSERVER ONLINE that Scorpio was looking for musical talent and he received a call that he should audition for the spot.
“I went in and saw the big man himself judging two deejays in the studio. They were singing about violence and Jack Scorpio does not promote violence so they did not go through. So now it was my turn to sing and they gave me a riddim and on spot I wrote a song called ‘Girl Your Mine’ and sang it,” Clarke recalled.
“When I looked up everyone was shocked by my voice because I was 17 so no one was expecting so much talent from me; even Jack Scorpio was shocked. He signed me and the real journey begun. I remember that Jack Scorpio said that for 11 years he was not working in the studio and because of my talent he came back in,” he stated.
The Spanish Town native’s hard work and single-mindedness about reggae music paid off when he officially released ‘Girl You’re Mine’ on April 19, 2021.
He also revealed that he has a new single in circulation which is a love song to Jamaica called ‘Gimme Your Love’. It was released on October 6, 2022.
“Everybody seems to really love the song because it is talking about Jamaica, and the way the song is structured, it is as if Jamaica is my girl and I am asking her to give me her love. It is a love to the country,” Clarke said.
He added that while he has seen some success in his limited time in the industry, the journey has not always been easy, as things can be pressuring at times.
He remains inspired, however, by looking up to artistes such as Romain Virgo who Clarke said is one of the reasons he is pursuing music now. Clarke also revealed to OBSERVER ONLINE that he hopes to one day do a collaboration with Virgo who he met three years ago.
For now, Clarke’s music can be found on YouTube and other streaming platforms.