Ramize has family plans for festival win

Vocalist Vernon 'Ramize' Smith has not had an easy life, including losing his mother at age nine.

Now that he is a festival song finalist, with his feel-good throwback entry Jamaica Fi Life, he believes that he can change his stars with a victory in the competition.

"It would mean a lot to me and my wife. It would give us a chance to start a family. My wife has been through a lot with ectopic pregnancy, and to win it would give us a chance to start a family, 'cause we would be able to financially afford to do the procedures," he said.

Born in Kingston, Ramize moved to Wood Hall, Clarendon, as a child, and lived there until his mother passed away.

He relocated to Cockburn Pen, St Andrew. He attended Jose Marti Technical High School in St Catherine, where he fell in love with music.

He recorded his first single, Dear Jah Jah, at Big Yard Studios in 2006 as a tribute to his mother.

From then, he has continued to work on his craft, singing reggae and R&B; he has come up with a unique sound.

"The problem I have is that people want to put me in a box, but my concept is 'yard soul'. I just do what the soul says ... whatever the soul is telling me to sing," he said.

Ramize will be releasing an EP later this year to showcase his new sound.

Encouraged by his wife, Jodian, and one of his friends, he entered the festival song contest in 2015, but didn't win.

"At that time, I hadn't studied the art of the festival, so my chances weren't great. This year, I wasn't planning on entering but at the last minute, I entered and caught the office a few minutes before it closed; one week later, I got a call that I was in the top 25," he said.

He fancies his chances this year.

"I now understand the sound of the festival, and people are loving it. In the streets, people come to me and say it's been a while since they've heard that sound, so I have been able to bring back that old throwback sound," he said.