Universe Boss reps Jamaica in India, looks to Bollywood

Record-breaking batsman Chris Gayle, known musically as the Universe Boss, is busy promoting his new collaboration, and, amid talks of a debut album, shared that he has his eyes set on Bollywood, the Indian film industry equivalent of Hollywood.

Oh Fatima, the track on which he recently teamed up with Indian singer-songwriter and music composer, Arko, has been super successful, with the music video amassing more than five million views in two weeks on YouTube.

"I feel really good about the success of the song, knowing that I am able to promote Jamaican culture in India and the Middle East. Also, I appeared in a major television show to promote the song and video in Mumbai, India. The show is called The Kapil Sharma Show and is seen by 45 million people in India on Sony TV," Gayle told THE STAR.

During that interview, Gayle shared that he had to learn the skill of rapping.

"I enjoy being a student, always eager to listen and learn. Arko is incredibly talented and is particular about his lyrics. When he shared the track with me, he provided a rough version and said: 'This is what I'm looking for.' It was a new experience for me. I instantly vibed with the beat, and he suggested, 'Hey, let's make it happen'. It turned out to be a great collaboration."

As a batsman, Gayle is beloved in India, and those affections have been transferred to the Universe Boss. In 2021, Jamaica To India, a collaboration with Indian rap artiste Emiway Bantai, was number one in India for more than a week and made dents in various charts across Asia. Last year, he headlined the Asian edition of the Billboard-hitting Tropical House Cruises to Jamaica series, which is executively produced by Sean 'Contractor' Edwards.

He explained that since the project with Contractor Music, there has been more of an interest in him as an artiste in Asia "so with that momentum I knew this song and music video would do well".

"I am definitely more serious about doing music. I have my producer Camar in Jamaica at my home studio constantly making new beats and sounds for me to record on. I am putting together an album ... I would love to work with Contractor Music again, as well as Sean Paul and Shaggy. I also want to pursue acting roles in Bollywood," Gayle shared, noting that Arko has worked in the Bollywood film industry since 2012.