Most people pay serious money to see a Marley play live. On Monday, a fully booked Southwest Airlines flight from Orlando to Montego Bay got a reggae set for the price of a plane ticket, courtesy of Julian Marley himself.
Passengers had settled in for what looked like an uneventful two hour trip. Then a man in a black, green, red and gold jacket stood up from his seat and was handed a guitar. It was announced that Marley was about to get everyone in the right frame of mind for Jamaica.
Dozens of phones went up almost instantly. Marley strummed through the fittingly titled So High as part of a two song set dubbed “Live at 35,” a nod to the 35,000 feet the plane was cruising at.
The moment wasn’t random. Marley told THE STAR the performance came out of a collaboration with the airline, and that the timing lined up right after his Give to Life tour wrapped.
“It was all a very organic type of thing for me,” he said. “Our South East Asia, UK and European tour generated a lot of attention, which I believe made Southwest Airlines reach out to us, and now we have performed live at 35,000 feet.”
By his account, the cabin was fully on board, literally. Everybody on board was just chilling and enjoying the vibes and so appreciative of the whole performance,” he said, adding that he felt “so blessed and humbled for every opportunity to showcase the power of reggae music.”
So High comes from Tropical House Cruises to Jamaica, an album set for release early next year. The lineup alongside Marley includes Tifa, Jethro Sheeran, Shatta Wale and Chris Gayle.
The track was produced by Richard Roache of Digital One Production, who is thrilled his song got its international debut at cruising altitude. “It was an honour to work with Julian on the single, and the track fit the occasion perfectly,” he said.
He’s already pitching the sequel, saying it would be even better if Southwest used the song in one of its ad campaigns.
Executive producer Sean “Contractor” Edwards says the stunt gives the whole album a big lift. He picked So High because it’s a love song, explaining that “we need to spread love for humanity and show more love to each other in our relationships.”
Edwards is also upfront about the business side of having a Marley on the record. The Marley name is synonymous with reggae music, so having the Grammy winner Julian Marley on our album gives us a global appeal,” he said.
That name carries weight for good reason. Julian is one of Bob Marley’s sons, and he has spent decades building his own catalogue while carrying the family’s music to stages around the world.
For now, Southwest hasn’t said anything about putting So High in a commercial, and the cabin clips are still circulating.
The bigger test comes early next year, when the album lands and the song has to win people over on the ground.
