Zamunda To Release Live Studio Album, Collab With Skillibeng
Talk and Stutter artist Zamunda, says he has been spending copious amounts of time writing and recording music, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the result of which includes a soon-to-be-released live studio album, as well as a collab with Crocodile Teeth deejay Skillibeng.
“Wi a drop couple collabs, couple singes… I have a thing now a come out wid Skilli and we have di album now weh finish and complete yah now; a live studio album produced by me,” Zamunda told Onstage host Winford Williams during Saturday night’s airing of the entertainment programme.
“Some of the biggest names in music deh pon di album,” he added.
During the interview, Zamunda also called for more unity and more collaborations by artists within the Jamaican music industry, which he says has been seriously affected by an ‘excess of ego’.
“Honestly, I think we as Jamaica artiste we need to put di ego aside because is like I see more ego dan music, and we have to bow to di music and know seh dis is what give us everything and di music is what do every given thing for us, so at no given time, wi caan feel wi more dan di music,” the Clarendon native said.
“Like for instance yuh reach out to a artiste and seh: ‘I am doing an album; I would like you on it, and a artiste a guh seh: ‘yow him bigga dan you, or him have a bigger fan base dan you. It doesn’t matter. Everybody have a fan base no matter how big or how small it is…,” he added.
Zamunda, whose given name is Christopher Gayle, added though, that his collaborative remake of his 2010 breakout hit Jah Love Surrounds Me, with Popcaan and Dre Island seems to have inspired other artists to start working together instead of doing so in silos.
“Wi need more collaboration, more unity inna di music and since di Jah Love Surround Me remake forward out wid me, Popcaan and Dre Island I even see more Jamaican artiste doing collabs right now, all three artiste on songs…,” he said.
The One People artist also said that whilst the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented him from doing his usual European summer tours and other overseas assignments, he has used the time wisely, by putting in copious amounts of musical works.
“The amount of work that I have accomplished since the pandemic, I still can’t complain, because we still have life an di place tek time a open forward likkle-likkle,” he said.
In May, the 36-year-old told Television Jamaica’s Anthony Miller that not only had he overcome his speech impediment, but was reaping success again with the revitalization of Jah Love Surrounds Me, the song which propelled him to national stardom.
Zamunda who was known to stutter in regular conversation, has always been flawless in his singing and has consistently made light of his speech impediment, claiming that he sings better than he speaks. In 2012 Onstage interview, he had described himself as a ‘stammer singer’ when asked to identify one thing that distinguishes himself from the other artistes in conscious Reggae music.
One of Zamunda’s major hits was Badda Than Dem with I-Octane. His other recordings include Still a pray fi dem, Working 9 – 5, Science dem a work, Talk and Stutter and Cyaan Program Me.
Zamunda began his career as a deejay, with Buju Banton, Shabba Ranks, Capleton, Bounty Killer and Beenie Man being among his influences. However, as a deejay, he said he realized that he was straining his voice, too much, and as a consequence made the switch to singing as he knew that with his vocals, singing was his forte.