Khausion dedicates ‘Red Rose for Gregory’ to late grandfather

When Keith Howard, the man whom Khausion lovingly describes as his "father and grandfather", passed away last Wednesday, the singjay didn't know if he would have the strength to perform at the Mother's Day concert which was a few days away.

"My grandfather was 76. He had complications like high blood pressure, and he is diabetic. He's really my step-grandfather, but I didn't know my real granddad until I was in my thirties. Mi born come see him, so I give him all my honour and glory. Everything I know now is coming from him ... everything. But I tried to keep focused on this concert ... mek sure mi come and give it mi all," Khausion told THE STAR.

On Sunday, he did what he knew his grandfather would advise him to do, so he showed up and put his best foot forward on stage at 'Red Rose For Gregory'. He delivered three songs, the Gregory Isaacs classic, Number One, in tribute to the late singer; Quality Time and Mama's Love.

"My grandfather is one of my biggest support. Many times me plan seh, bwoy me a go stop do music and just focus on building myself through a 9-to-5, and he would say, 'Yuh kidding me? If you give up now you are twice defeated.' So coming here, I am doing this for Keith Howard," Khausion said in a post-performance interview.

The singjay also caused many to do a double take as he debuted a new look -- no locks. He explained that he was forced to 'unlock' a few weeks ago owing to dermatological issues.

"I have this issue with dry scalp and I tried everything ... buy shampoo for thousands of dollars ... every remedy, but nothing worked. It was so embarrassing ... yuh wash yuh hair and within three days all you could see was flakes," Khausion shared.

He said that choosing locks was more about aligning with the message in his music, rather than a full-on embrace of the Rastafarian lifestyle.

"I locked my hair because of the positiveness of the music I am doing, so I wanted the complete package. Rasta is about positiveness and uniting the nation, so basically I have to go with the image. I love my hair, even now I have it. It was delocked, not trimmed," he said.

Currently promoting the singles Bipolar, Paranoid and Mama's Love, Khausion is going through the process of securing work permits to go overseas for a series of shows.