Tarrus Riley moved by father-son moment with Mekiem

Last Sunday evening, thousands made their way to St Ann to begin the year with the smooth musical stylings from artistes on the Intimate concert line-up.

While fans of course anticipated a stellar show headlined by entertainment powerhouses Buju Banton and Beres Hammond, what they could not foresee was the touching moment between Tarrus Riley and his 12-year-old son Mekiem on stage during his set.

While speaking to THE WEEKEND STAR, he reiterated that it was his first time he was introducing his son on stage and having him perform. Riley said that for him, it made the show even more special as he sent his love to his brothers in the industry who are currently experiencing tough losses.

"He (Mekiem) is great man. What I really must applaud him for is how him keep his composure. The man is just calm and don't even flinch or miss a beat. He is braver than me. A lot of people cry living eye water when my son did I'm In Your Corner. That is also how I got my start in music. My father (Jimmy Riley) would bring me out on stage and I would deejay and because of that, today I am here, so imagine," he shared.

Mekiem was also featured on Riley's 2020 Healing album. He and his siblings Akilah-Joy and Tsehai were on the track Remember Me. As for whether Mekiem will pursue a career in music, Riley said it is purely up to him.

"You have to ask him when he gets old, but he is a musician. All of my yute dem a musician. They just love music. So give him some time. He is going to be in the books because he's great already so him fi just take him time and come through," Riley said.

Intimate was held at Plantation Cove and also featured acts such as L.U.S.T and Marcia Griffiths. Riley said that he was proud to be part of the show and feels it is to be emulated.

"I want to say thanks to Buju and Beres for inviting me to perform. This show set the bar for entertainment this year because you know music is definitely a mission and not a competition. But it is going to be a hard act to follow. This concert really set a bar for calibre of performances. Is not no likkle joke show. We don't want our music be like a joke business," he said.

"I love that the show was able to demonstrate that reggae music is still big like any other music and people will come out in their numbers. Sometimes people act like 'reggae this and reggae that'. Well, look how much thousands of people come out," Riley continued.

As for his 2023 outlook, the singjay said that fans should just stay tuned.

"If we started like this, think about how the rest of the year will be going. I don't want to talk too much about it, I just want to surprise you," he said.