Reggae Boy balancing football and music

Over the last few months, Reggae Boyz midfielder Je-vaughn 'Haka' Watson has been grabbing the attention of local fans, but not on the football pitch.

The former Sporting Central player has released a number of dancehall tracks since the outbreak of the coronavirus and has been making a name for himself in the music industry.

But despite the enormous strides he has made musically, he insists that football remains his first love and that helping the Reggae Boyz reach the 2022 World Cup is still his main priority.

Watson, who is managed and produced by teammate Damion Lowe and his Monarch Entertainment label, said that since high school, he has always been a 'vibes man' for any team or which he plays and that deejaying for teammates to 'build a vibes' became a natural past-time.

"Even in the national team, if the players they are feeling down, 'Tappa' (coach Theodore Whitmore) will say, 'Haka, build a vibes. So in the national team, I am deejaying all the time. I have been doing it a long time, so it's natural to me," he told STAR Sports.

Watson, who has played for clubs such as Houston Dynamos, FC Dallas, and New England Revolution, admitted that he never really thought about music seriously until the coronavirus outbreak.

Impact quickly faded

The player, who goes by the artiste name 'Haka 15', recorded his first song (40) last year after the Gold Cup for Rameish Entertainment, but although he had some good reviews, the song and its impact quickly faded because his commitment to football didn't allow him the time to focus much on any continuity. But the coronavirus pandemic has presented the perfect opportunity for him to jump-start his music career.

"It's just because of the corona (virus) why I have taken to music. When I am playing ball, I don't really have time to do music. But the virus came when I was in Jamaica, and I got stuck, and it just work out the right way because I just didn't have time like now, so because of the virus I can focus more and do what I'm doing," he shared.

He revealed that Lowe is the mastermind behind the Monarch Entertainment project and the man who gets everything done such as cover art, rhythms, marketing, promotion, mixing songs and getting them on the various platforms, and making contacts.

"It's like he's a producer already, and it's just computer he learned it from. He does everything. I just write and sing. He does most of the work," he said.