Music saved Percival Lord

Festival Song contestant Percival Lord, otherwise known as Dharma, says that music saved him from a life of crime.

"I spent half of my life in the countryside and half in the garrison, and everybody a do things. gangsters invade your community, and you get involved in things. Music saved my life. if it weren't for music, I was able to channel my anger and rage into it. music allowed me to meditate; it is like therapy," Dharma said.

He is one of 11 contestants who will face off at the final show. Dharma believes that his entry, A Jamaica We Love, has a great chance of taking the top $2-million prize and the winner's trophy.

"My chances are at 100 per cent. I feel I am going to win, but at the end of the day, everyone has the same potential. it also boils down to 'every man has their day', and the judging panel. Anything can happen, but I am coming to take it," he said.

This is his first time entering the Festival Song competition.

"I was referred to Jamaica Cultural Development Commission by Roderick Howell from Hitz 92, and he suggested it, and a couple years passed since that till this year, I decided to submit the track, and they called me to say it was accepted, and I came in for a workshop, and everything start happen from there," he said.

He explained his unusual stage name.

"Being a musician in the music business, I chose 'Dharma' based on the representation of a God-like title. In Buddhism, 'Dharma' represents oneness. it means the creator of life and earth and all things thereof, so I chose that name to represent myself because my last name is 'Lord'," he said.

He grew up in Highgate, St Mary, attended Highgate All-Age Schools and was back and forth between Kingston, and St Mary before moving to Kingston in 1995, where he lived in Cockburn Pen.

He attended Ardenne High school but got kicked out for fighting. He started doing music and ended up taking a course in personal computer repairs and programming. He then worked doing various jobs.

Over the years, he has maintained a strong music relationship with dancehall artiste Aidonia and has opened for him at various concerts. Dharma also performed at the Marcus Garvey birthday celebration for two consecutive years at the IRIE FM Courtyard in Ocho Rios.