‘Love is lovely’ Reggae star Samory I gets married

Rastafarian singer Samory-Tour Frazer, better known as Samory I, walked down the aisle with his fiancée Cece, two weeks ago, and said his “I do” in front of family and friends who arrived from as far away as Africa.

He posted pictures of the ethereal wedding ceremony in St James to social media and captioned them: “Love is lovely, war is ugly, Jah bless the man!” Smiling ear-to-ear, Samory I gave THE STAR a peek inside the nuptials. Quizzed about what that mantra meant to him as he stood at the altar, Samory I made sure, in his first response, to use that magic word that always brings boisterous cheers at a wedding – “wife”.

“For me, it’s simple. Love is always the better way. Life already comes with enough war, enough struggle, enough things trying to divide people. Standing there with my wife, before Jah and our families, it was about choosing love, choosing peace and choosing to build together. Jah bless the man who can recognise that and live by it,” Samory I told THE STAR.

The wedding brought together the couple’s close circle, family, and musical brethren, including Chi Ching Ching, with whom Samory I has a collaboration titled, Life Is Amazing. Ching was actually chosen to play the role of MC.

“Ching is family,” Samory I said. “Beyond being an artiste and entertainer, he brings a natural energy that people connect with. We didn’t want the wedding to feel overly formal or staged … we wanted it to feel like us: Jamaican, cultural, musical and full of life. Ching understood that naturally, so having him guide the celebration made sense,” Samory I explained.

In a previous interview, Cece said her favourite Samory I song is an unreleased track titled Never Give You Up. While that was not the song they chose for their first dance, the song from another Rastafarian singer took top honours.

“Never Give You Up is definitely special to us, but we didn’t use it for the wedding. We actually chose Genesis by Chronixx for our first dance. It felt right for the moment …marriage is a new beginning, a new chapter and a new foundation for us,” said Cece.

And a delighted Samory I, who is father to six-year-old son Jahseh, described the youngster as “the star of the show”.

“Jahseh was part of the whole experience. This marriage isn’t only about me and Cece; it’s about the family we’re building together. As his father, I want him to grow up seeing love, commitment and family as something you nurture and protect. Having him there to witness us make that commitment before Jah and our families meant a lot to me,” the groom said.

He said that his most grounding memory from the celebration when the cameras weren’t rolling was “simply looking around and seeing everybody together”.

“Our families come from different places and cultures … Jamaica, Nigeria, Senegal …and for that moment everybody was just family. There were a lot of big moments throughout the day, but the simple moments, seeing people laugh, reason and celebrate together, were probably the most grounding for me,” Samory I said.