British-J’can songwriter strikes gold with Olympic song

Grammy Award-winning songwriter, Carla Marie, recently had one of her songs selected by the International Olympics Committee (IOC) to feature as a special global highlight for the recent Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

She said that the song, titled Hope, is a gospel anthem, a cry of hope and a cry for change. The single was used in conjunction with the official Tokyo 2020 Olympics highlight reel, aired at the closing ceremony on August 8 and published on the IOC official website. The song will also play a part in celebration of the 2021 Paralympics.

Speaking about the single, Carla Marie said, "We have shot a video for the song in Jamaica with creative director Lindsay Lodenquai, which I'm hoping will be out soon. For me, hope should have no colour, no gender, no limits. All you need is a little bit of hope."

Carla Marie has written for some of the biggest names worldwide, including Beyonce with the single Freedom on her Grammy-Award winning Lemonade.

Carla Marie, whose parents hail from Trelawny and Manchester, was also a guest judge on X Factor in 2019, alongside the likes of Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger, Naughty Boy, Leona Lewis, and Ella Eyre. She also debuted as a radio presenter, hosting the 'Music Life' podcast series on the BBC World Service.

In recent times, she has been residing in Kingston. She has championed opportunities, equality, and diversity for women in music and creative industries through her movement 'Girls I Rate (GIR)', which she launched in the UK in 2016. It boasts over 5000 female creatives.

Carla Marie also launched GIR Caribbean with the headquarters in Jamaica. She has already garnered support from respected music artistes and music executives such as Beenie Man, Ce'Cile, Naomi Cowan, and ZJ Sparks.