Jamaican reggae and dancehall star Garfield Mclean — known professionally as Gmac Citylock — has joined The Caribbean Voice’s (TCV) suicide prevention campaign as a spokesperson.
Gmac joins a number of other media and entertainment stars on TCV’s team of spokespersons, including chutney singers Satish Udairam (Guyana/Florida), Natty Ramotar (T&T/Florida), and MC Drew P (Guyana/Canada); reggae singer and university lecturer Jah (George) Dover (Guyana/California); versatile singer Roger Hinds (Guyana); and media personalities Lakshmee Singh, Imran Ahmad, and Shanaz Hussain (US), the local organisation said in a recent press release.
From cultural phenom Sizzla to crooners Natty King and Bushman, Gmac has been embraced by some of the most influential music practitioners. Some of his most notable collaborations are with the reggae legend Ken Boothe, in a remix of his hit song “Everything I Own”, and three collaborations with Sizzla Kalonji, including the remix of his hit song “Holding Firm” which garnered rave reviews and accolades.
Other collaborations include one with Hurricane Chris, the platinum selling rapper in the USA, and another with Junior Reid. Gmac’s brand of music spans the gamut from cultural, reality message music to party floor themes and affairs-of-the-heart lovers’ odes.
“I am about music that can inspire and elevate but I am also about fun music that will help people release the stresses of life,” the musician reportedly said. Further, his suicide prevention song titled ‘Love Your Life’ has added another dimension to his music as he seeks to play a critical role in saving lives.
For this particular song, Gmac Citylock worked with Beenie Man and Fido Guido from Italy. The producer of the song is Pablo Morelove Music also from Italy. The song is currently receiving regional and international airplay in Australia, Europe, North America, and the Caribbean as efforts are being ramped up to promote suicide prevention.
Meanwhile, the Caribbean Voice is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt NGO that is registered in the US and Guyana. It plans to also register in Canada and Trinidad and Tobago next year. A fully volunteer-run entity, TCV is engaged in suicide and abuse prevention in the US, Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago, with plans to launch in Canada and Jamaica within the next two years, followed by the rest of the Caribbean down the road. (Modified from Caribbean Voice press release)
