Chatting with
Chatting with
Omari
Omari Banks , the Reggae star , who was involved with the game of cricket for a number of years . You ’ ve also played professionally with the West Indies Cricket Team . When did you retire ? I stopped playing actively in 2010 but I made it official in 2012 .
Why the transition into music ? Music has always been a passion of mine from a child and it came quite natural as I had a Dad who was an Artiste ( Bankie Banx ). I ' ve always played instruments and was in talent shows and bands which I excelled at from a young age .
At what point did you discover your love for music and performing ? I discovered a love for the stage from very early . It was always a place I went to challenge myself to be better as well as to express my love for the thing I enjoyed doing - performing . My earliest performance memory was in Italy when I was 5 years old onstage with my Dad . That memory is still very clear in my mind .
How much of a challenge was it to be recognized as a musician , singer and songwriter as opposed to the cricketer image that people were already familiar with ? Even when I played cricket I was known for my musical side because people knew of my Dad . Within the team I was known to give performances at team functions and gatherings , but doing it professionally took bit of time for people to wrap their head around me retiring and doing it full time . At first it was tough to convince people that I was really retiring at the age of 28 to pursue something that I did for so long and became so well know for , but within a couple of years and a few songs getting regional and international recognition , people realized that it was for real and my talent spoke for itself .
Tell us about your very first single and album . My very first single was from my album “ Move On ” and the song was called “ Unafraid ”. It got to number one on the Music Station Tempo and remained the number one song for 2013 on that station . That was an amazing accomplishment for me seeing that I was just coming into the music biz a couple years ago and to be received so quickly was something really special ...
What does your music represent and what message do you hope to disseminate through your music ? I seek to inspire hope , positivity and tell stories that I believe people will relate to . I think music is a very powerful tool for emotional mastery and furthermore , manipulation . I beleive in the power of positivity and I seek to influence people to do good . My message is what I consider to be truth and love .
Which of your songs would you say is your favourite and why ? It ’ s hard to choose one song because every song has a different emotional place from which it was written so I would have to name a few which all has a different purpose . Move On ( inspirational ); System Set Collaboration with Duane Stephenson ( social , awareness ); Naturally ( love song ); No Point to Prove and Collaboration with Peetah Morgan of Morgan Heritage
Where have you toured so far ? I toured Europe in 2015 with Grammy Award- Winning group Morgan Heritage . I ’ ve also done shows in the US and the Caribbean . I did a Promotional Tour in Toronto in 2015 , all of which were great experience for me .
17
Back to Table of Contents