‘Chris Gayle’s name is magic in India’ ­– Tourism minister

On-the-rise recording artiste, Universe Boss, known in his other life as star cricketer Chris Gayle, was recently added to the Asian edition of the Billboard-hitting Tropical House Cruises to Jamaica series, and Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett is fully endorsing the project.

"Chris Gayle is really a huge asset to Jamaica and a central figure, I think, to the engagement of the Asians, especially the Indians, because when you call his name in India, it is magic," Bartlett said. Tropical House Cruises to Jamaica: The Asian Edition is targeting India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. "We have Chris Gayle, who, because of cricket, is a giant in all those countries," executive producer Sean 'Contractor' Edwards stated.

Noting that Asia is "definitely the next frontier for us", Bartlett disclosed that Jamaica already has an agent in India, even as he sent out a friendly message to the Universe Boss.

"So, whatever important values that he brings to this engagement and however it can enhance Jamaica's presence in that market, I just want to say ... we will be calling on Chris because we know that he is an icon in the cricket space in that beautiful country," Bartlett said.

Last year, Gayle collaborated with Indian rap artiste Emiway Bantai on a track titled Jamaica To India, which took over charts in Asia and boasts 53 million views on YouTube.

He has been making further dents in other charts, with the latest being the USA iTunes charts. His song titled Blessings, which was released in February, charted at number six, and the single, Don't Go which was released in May, has made its way to number three.

"It's a great feeling to see Don't Go climbing and making waves," Gayle told THE WEEKEND STAR. "I'm excited. I am pretty happy about it. Let's hope it gets to number one. That's the target ... get it to number one and the rest will take care of itself."