STAR on the Rise: Don Simar making strides

At 18 years old, and a recent graduate of Seaforth High School in St Thomas, Simar Patterson is forging a path in the music industry, and has accomplished much. From his district way up in the Blue Mountain hills, and with a phone that doesn't easily connect to the Internet, Don Simar, as he is known to fans, has established a strong presence on social media. With close to 30,000 followers on Instagram (and he's following only 14), it is not unusual for this 'country boy's' freestyle video to get more than 20,000 views.

"My fan base started growing while I was at high school, and I did a video and it went viral," said the deejay, who is now working with veteran producer Bobby Digital.

Musical journey

His first song, Leff Him, was released at the end of last year and it looks set to propel Don Simar on the musical journey for which he craves.

He was set to follow this up with another single, but the sudden death of his older brother in December took a toll on him.

"Things were put on pause for a little while, because of my brother. It was so unexpected. They said a vein in his neck burst because of the five gallon water (container) he was carrying on his head. But we live in the hills and that is something we do regular, so I still don't understand," he said.

That loss, however, has awakened in Don Simar a greater appreciation for life, and the result is that he has been imploring his followers to be careful in this coronavirus era.

Sounding like an official public service announcement, he regularly takes to social media to share titbits on how to protect oneself from the virus.

"I don't want anybody to go through the pain I experienced with my brother's passing, so prevention is better than cure," the St Thomas artiste said.

"Jamaica, we are going to have difficult times ahead of us if we don't follow these few known facts on how to defeat this virus. We need to wash our hands for 20 seconds and practise social distancing - meaning we need to give each other space - and no handshake and no touching. And please listen the health authorities," he urges in one video.

Don Simar says he just wants to use this platform to continue informing his fans and community of Penlyne Castle and the citizens of rural Jamaica.

His consistent presence on social media, promoting himself and his songs has started to pay off, and the young artiste is on the cusp of signing a deal with an overseas-based record label, World Universal Records/Empire.

He also has been approached to be brand ambassador for a clothing company, in addition to having requests from other brands for product placements in his videos.

Releases: Leff Him, Yute From Kuntree (to be released)

Inspirations: Shabba Ranks, General Echo, Popcaan, Bounty Killer, Vybz Kartel and many of the older artistes.

Interesting Fact: Don Simar loves a good game of marbles and can actually play very well.