Singer Fred Debs heard a lot about reggae as a young artiste in his native Lebanon. Some of the stories were positive, others negative. But he saw the good side of Jamaican culture while recording Seasons, his first song.

The easy-listening track is produced by DubHut and features a strong cast of musicians including drummer Sly Dunbar, bassist Delroy Hamilton and guitarist Nicolas Groskopf. Fred Debs, who lives in California, said the message behind Seasons is simple.

“Life moves in cycles, not straight lines. No stretch, whether heavy or sweet, lasts forever. The hard times pass and the good ones too,” he reasoned. “The only thing we truly own in this life is our perspective and our faith. If you lose your perspective, you lose the compass. The song is about standing firm in whatever weather you’re in, keeping your heart open and your feet moving.”

Fred Debs has been musically-active since age 14. From the Freikeh region of Lebanon, he performed in bars and at festivals, and was a contestant on The X Factor Middle East.

He discovered reggae in his teens, listening to ‘burnt’ CDs with songs by Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff and UB40. Later, Fred Debs discovered the music of African stars, Alpha Blondy and Lucky Dube, which increased his interest in Jamaican culture.

However, he admits there is plenty of confusion in his homeland about reggae.

“Reggae was and still is being underestimated and misunderstood around Lebanon and the world. It is stereotyped, associated with smoking herb and laziness,” Fred Debs said.

“No matter what struggles, wisdoms, perspectives, upliftments, social commentaries, self-awareness and nuances the songs had, plenty of people would say ‘yeaa maan, I like how chill and laid-back reggae is, smoke di herb everyday, positive vibes braa’ or ‘what is this nonsense? Our children and society shouldn’t be exposed to this,” he added.

Seasons is distributed through VPAL Music.

— Howard Campbell