Demarco’s musical evolution into a “different category” | Entertainment
Demarco’s influence lies not only in the fact that he left an unforgettable mark on a generation of recording artists, writing, performing and producing songs, but also because he managed to maintain his relevance with an audience known to be fickle.
Surviving the entertainment industry for a decade and a half, the 39-year-old “quadruple threat” says, was mainly possible because he had the biggest teacher – “the business itself”.
“The way one artist breaks into the music industry and finds success won’t be the same for another. The business is a permanent classroom and I definitely wasn’t aware of anything. YouTube s ‘has proven to be a college for all publishing and copyright research,’ Demarco said. The Sunday Gleaner.
“Although I started as a breeder before becoming a recording artist, and would have had several teachers in different areas of the industry – Bounty Killer, Dave Kelly and Mix Master Marvin – from the early stages of my career, I became tied to a contract with an American record label,” explained Demarco, who last year released a long-awaited debut album, titled Melody, after gaining independence.
With over 100 albums shelved since then, the artist was determined to have a steady flow of music and vowed to release singles until what he called “the right time”. Every move he made was guided by time. At the same time, he devoted himself to another of his passions, that of becoming a music video and film director and the owner of a multifunctional studio.
“I had the concept of a ‘one stop shop’ for music production, and I made it happen. Directing has always been an interest, so I got to grips with the technology and the practical side of things, from production to lighting and editing, I bought the necessary equipment, then I went to Edna Manley to recruit the people with the know-how,” he shared. .
DOCUMENTARIES
The studio closed in 2017 and it migrated to Atlanta, which had a large dancehall enclave of event promoters and fans. The move has boosted the artist’s perspective as he currently plans to transition into directing documentaries, shorts and films.
“There is a lot of money in production and when it comes to documentaries in dancehall there is a lot lacking. Dancehall needs good equipment to make our Jamaican productions more enjoyable for international markets which are in advance. People also need to hear the stories behind the documented music. It comes naturally to me to be in front of and behind the camera as a director as I even perform my own music, so it goes without saying that I would do more.
Demarco, whose real name is Collin Demar Edwards, wrote credits for Rihanna and mastered the art of building beats like the Jambe An’ with the hit recording Party animal by Charly Black, which he says served as a financial anchor.
Not one for all the fanfare or the spotlight, the love my life The artist’s idea of celebrating 15 years of evolution in the music business is to walk into his home studio and come out with a new track, or to have conceptualized a storyboard for a music video and play it. bring to an end. Humbled by his many accomplishments, Demarco, despite going by the subtitle “Da Don”, struggles to boast that he is one of the few Jamaican artists to achieve success in all areas of production. Spice, who he recently collaborated with and also directed the video for one of his singles, told him that’s not always the best trait.
To put it bluntly, he said; “Spice tells me to say I’m wukless and no one will know my abilities unless I talk about it.
“I don’t want people to say that I talk about myself too much. This milestone is best celebrated by me, keep making music and do, do. For me, it’s about making music and video productions that people can enjoy. It’s a lot of work, on top of being a father of five children – the youngest who is just one year and seven months old and whose name is the same as my album – but I know I’m doing what I love,” Demarco said.
stephanie.lyew@gleanerjm.com