Blessings ‘overflow’ for Yohan Marley and friends

Yohan Marley, son of Grammy-winning artiste Stephen Marley said his new mega collaboration, ' Overflow ', was just a "natural vibe" among his friends, sharing their gratitude for life and sending a strong message of "needed unity" among members of the musical fraternity.

Speaking with THE STAR, Marley shared that the song - which features Jesse Royal, D'Yani and Jahshii, came about on his grandfather Bob Marley's birthday last year.

"Jesse, Jahshii, [producer] Baby G and D'Yani were all just hanging out and Baby G had some rhythms and collectively, we all like the rhythm and everybody just start write and that's the way how di blessings just start fi overflow," Yohan chuckled. He said gathering that calibre of talents in one space to create the same vibe and energy, yet with a diverse melodic flow, "was not hard to do".

"We all bredrins, suh it's something that came naturally," he said. With one of his recent singles, 'Blessings' - another major collaboration featuring Jesse Royal - Marley underscored that 'Overflow' also highlights that "unity in the industry is very important".

"We strong independently but we're stronger together; suh I believe that unity is very well needed," he said.

In agreement, Jesse Royal said he believes that collaborations are vital in spreading unity within the music space and by extension, the world.

"Collaborations are incredibly important for and to me. It was exciting for me from youth days and I still love the formula. Hearing [reggae stalwarts] Damian and Stephen [Marley] and Capleton on 'It Was Written', was life-changing for me. We hope to give other people the same joy we remember getting as youth when hearing some of your favourite artistes on one song," he told THE STAR recently.

Released just a week ago, Marley said 'Overflow' has already been reaping the blessings through the "great love and support from fans ...and it's doing what I thought it would be doing".

With the hovering impact from his grandfather's legacy and the resounding musical strides his father continues to make, Marley said he never felt pressured into making music, as this is a path he chose. As a family of musicians, "it came naturally to us and I feel honoured".

In that breath, Jesse Royal said working with Marley and the other talented artistes made the project stress-free.

"Because of the mutual respect, it was a relatively easy project to get done and honestly extremely smooth. Everybody inspired everybody so the session was not even really a session. It felt more like us just completing each other's lines and melodies," he said.

Marley said he hoped that the song will help everyone "to see the blessing in being alive, just being here - being present", while Jesse Royal expressed hope that " Overflow will connect with the masses and remind them of the times when music was just music".

Jesse Royal is currently working on his third studio album, and is set for his US tour, which starts on January 30. Marley is also gearing up for what he described as his "most active year" with his first highly anticipated event being his grandfather's birthday concert. He also promised a few collaborations featuring his father and uncles.