From out of hardship singer brings inspiration and ‘positive things’
Sometimes pain and hardship can be the biggest inspiration for entertainers. Local singer Jesse Seymour, 25, might have to agree.
A few years ago, Mr Seymour suffered two close losses in the space of 14 months. His 22-year-old cousin Jason Smith was believed to be an innocent bystander in a shooting in the summer of 2011, which claimed his life; while his best friend, footballer Tumani Steede died in a motorcycle accident in July 2012.
The singer said he “went through a really hard time” after losing two important people in his life. However, he learned to channel those emotions into singing and songwriting.
“Those incidents just propelled me to sit down and just think and write,” he told The Royal Gazette. “It’s all about keeping your mind busy with positive things and just being around positive people.”
Mr Seymour has since released two original songs Life and A Little More Love which are making the rounds on local radio stations.
He has also managed to line up a series of high profile gigs, such as the Miss Bermuda Pageant 2014, reggae singer Tarrus Riley’s show at the Cup Match Summer Splash and an appearance at Beachfest 2014.
His next performance will be at the ‘Bermuda Best of the Best’ event, held by Cowboy Productions, at Gombey’s Bar & Restaurant in St David’s on August 23.
He considered it an honour to be included in the line-up by show organiser Joseph Henry, aka Hype Type. It will also feature artists like Live Wires, Corvin Melody, E Levels, Slanger, Imari and Tiny T and aims to give local artists the recognition they deserve.
Mr Seymour said: “It does sometimes feel like artists have to go away and become big before they can get support in their own country.
“I just hope that people will recognise there are people in Bermuda who can be just as great as artists overseas. If people would just support them that would push them to want to be even better at their craft,” he added.
Mr Seymour was always around music as a child. His father was part of a local jazz band Burning Ice back in the 1970s; while his mother was an avid churchgoer and always played gospel music by the likes of Sounds of Blackness, Donnie McClurkin and Richard Smallwood.
Those early influences are what got him interested in singing professionally three years ago. However, it wasn’t until a co-worker heard Mr Seymour sing that he actually got a shot at performing live.
“What happened was I used to work with local artist Live Wires on a construction site and he asked me one time if I could sing,” Mr Seymour explained.
“I told him ‘yes’ so he asked me to sing something for him. I started singing and he turned around like he was surprised. He told me to sing something else and I sang it.
“That’s when he realised I had a good voice on me. He brought me out with him on the stage at Soca Vs Reggae in 2012.”
Mr Seymour was given just two minutes to sing, but as soon as he opened his mouth the crowd started to go ‘crazy’.
“It was something I had never experienced,” he said. “It was really indescribable. Ever since then it’s just sparked a ripple effect.”
Since then Mr Seymour has been working hard to perfect his sound. He practices every day, watches YouTube to study some of his favourite performers such as James Brown, and even created his own five-man band called Fire and Ice.
He described the band’s sound as very versatile and said they can go from playing reggae to slow, love songs or up-tempo pop tunes.
Although Mr Seymour is known mostly for singing cover songs, his goal is to become better known for his original music.
His song Life is about the daily struggles faced by some young people in Bermuda. “It talks about things like being easily influenced by negativity and things that aren’t productive,” he said.
“One line from the song goes ‘Life is one big road with new hills to climb; the going gets rough sometimes; you may have some great obstacles in your life, but do what’s right’.”
Another song called A Little More Love talks about a relationship gone wrong when one partner wasn’t valued enough.
It tells the tale of a man who has a good thing in front of him, but waits until it’s gone before he cherishes it, Mr Seymour explained.
His ultimate goal is to be at the top of his game so he can “entertain Bermudian people, my own people”. But he may need to go overseas to the US or Jamaica to get more exposure in the meantime.
Jamaican born dance hall artist Joseph Henry, aka Hype Type, has been recording and performing on the Island for many years.
But he’s found it’s not easy for artists to get recognition from event promoters in Bermuda.
He decided to host an event of his own: ‘Bermuda’s Best of the Best’, with help from Cowboy Productions, to show residents the array of talented artists on these shores.
The August 23 show will feature performances from Live Wires, Jesse, Corvin Melody, Stevie Dredd, E-Levels, Blac, Hype Type, Slanger, D Warning, Rasta Rebel, Mr Mickey, Culture, Imari, Tonka, Tiny T, Zenji San, and many others.
Mr Henry said local music lovers should come out to see some of their favourite Bermudian performers and learn about new artists they might never have heard of.
“We are trying to look forward to a great turnout and want to urge people to just come out and support these artists,” he said.
“It’s going to be awesome show and a nice party. People will see live special performances by the Bermuda locals who are very talented and it’s going to be a good night.”
After the show three local artists will be given the chance to record a song from Queste Productions.
The show will take place at Gombey’s Bar & Restaurant in St David’s on Saturday, August 23.
Tickets, $25, are available at New Art Nails Salon, located on Court Street, Hamilton. You can also reserve a space by phoning 296-2869 or 703-1520.
