Wayne Wonder laments ‘darkness’ engulfing Jamaica

From his base in the United States, veteran singer Wayne Wonder has been looking across at Jamaica and has been motivated to write some new lyrics.

Too much Darkness is the title of one of his latest tracks and he shared that he focused on this theme due to what's happening in Jamaica with the crime rate.

"The youths dem get too brawling and brazen and heartless and jus' nuh care. We have to make a change soon," said Wayne Wonder, given name Von Wayne Charles. For him, this change must also come through the music.

"The only way that joyful vibe can be injected back in the business is if the selectors, the artistes and the media play a part. We are all in this thing together and have to play a part to fix it. There is just too much darkness. Is this what we want to leave for our kids? Look at how the elders set it for us with some nice songs. The Bob Andys, the Alton Ellises, the John Holts. What is happening now is crazy. It haffi fix," he emphasised. He is urging entertainers to do good music and to do it to the best of their ability.

"We need music with substance, not just topics on vain things like flossing and bragging rights. You have to have real live stuff that people can relate to with no time limit on it. An instant classic. We need some positive energy and some joyful vibe," he said.

At the Reggae Month launch and church service at the beginning of February, Culture and Entertainment Minister Olivia Grange made a special appeal to music professionals.

"We want you to promote, to write and to sing and perform positive songs. Let's get rid of the gun lyrics; let's get rid of the defamatory way that we refer to our women. Let us use the music to do good and let's use the music to inspire," Grange said.

In 2003, Wayne Wonder's career went on an upward trajectory with the release of the album No Holding Back and the single No Letting Go on Atlantic Records. The single reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop chart in America, and received several awards. He even did a live performance of it on Saturday Night Live.