Marcue tackles alcoholism in latest music video

Rising reggae artiste Marcue said he is spreading much awareness on the effects of alcoholism in the visuals for his latest single, Can't Let Go, which was released on December 31.

"The song itself is one about love and heartbreak, but the visuals captured the effects of alcoholism and how it breaks people apart. Every heartbreak has some form of trauma to it and I wanted to bring that storyline to life, as a lot of people will use drugs and alcohol as a form of escape. The music video shows how addiction and love and heartbreak can walk hand in hand," he said.

Marcue told THE STAR that he has seen first-hand how the overuse of hard liquor affects some persons around him, which also motivated him to shoot a music video relating to the issue.

"Growing up, I have had family members who drink a lot whenever they were having issues, and even for celebration purposes as well. Then, I migrated to the US and it was the same thing, where I saw persons just drinking irrationally as an escape from problems. People will speak about the fun side of drinking and partying, but not the negative effects that comes along with it," he said.

"Closer to the end of the music video, there is a scene where I paid tribute to someone. He was the owner of the bar that I had shot the video and he committed suicide just about two weeks after the video was shot. The use of alcohol played a role in that as well. So again, we see how serious that addiction can be," Marcue added.

The harmful use of alcohol is causally linked to more than 200 diseases, including cirrhosis of the liver and tuberculosis. Alcohol has also been linked with incidents such as road traffic crashes and suicide. Alcohol abuse can also have both social and economic consequences.

"I think there is more work to be done locally. It is a fact that the awareness is growing, but we need more accessible resources, support networks and open conversation to help people truly recover," he said.

Marcue, given name Mark Hudson, said that his main focus is reggae and dancehall, but his love for music will see him tapping into pop and R&B occasionally.