From New Delhi to AfroFestival Ottawa, Hezron makes global stops

This year, for the first time, the annual AfroFestival Ottawa will include international artistes on its three-day line-up. An outdoor, family-friendly event celebrating African culture through music, food, dance, and community activities, it is scheduled for September 11 to 13 at Mooney’s Bay Park and Beach, Ottawa, Ontario.

The festival will showcase African, Caribbean and Pan-African music in Ottawa, and one of the international acts scheduled to perform is Hezron. He is beyond excited.

“I’m in Ottawa now preparing for the festival,” Hezron told The Gleaner. “I am the only reggae artiste on the line-up, so, you know, I have to represent. This festival attracts 30–40,000 people every year, and it is a festival I have always wanted to perform on.”

Hezron, who will be among the artistes on the closing night on Sunday, has been having a great year. He recently returned from New Delhi, India, where he was the special guest performer at the Jamaica Independence celebrations staged by Jamaica’s High Commissioner to India, Jason Hall. He described the trip as “memorable” and highlighted some of his adventures.

“To be in India representing Jamaica, our culture and our music was a real honour. I’m grateful to the Jamaica High Commission for the invitation and for giving me the opportunity to share Jamaica with the Indian people,” he said.

He shared that, since it was his first time in that country, he didn’t really know what to expect.

“As far as I knew, there wasn’t a big reggae community there, so I was really curious about what the response would be like. But I was shocked to discover that there are actually a lot of reggae lovers in India. The audience was warm and energetic. They were dancing, singing along, and really connecting with the music. As the performance went on, you could feel the energy getting bigger and bigger,” he said, still sounding a bit amazed.

In videos he shared, the fans were seen and heard chanting “More! More!”, and Hezron noted that it was a really special moment for him.

“To travel all the way from Jamaica to India and have people responding to the music like that was something I didn’t take for granted. There were quite a few people who knew Can’t Come Between, which I honestly wasn’t expecting. Some of them were Indians from Trinidad and Tobago, and there were also delegates from different African countries, Uganda, etc, who knew the song. So that was really nice to see,” Hezron said.

He pointed out that the people from the Jamaica High Commission knew his music and that High Commissioner Hall actually knew his catalogue,

“But, hearing people from different countries say they knew my music – that was special for me. As an artiste, you put your music out there and you never really know where it’s going to reach.”

His latest hit single, Holding On, was “the song really touched them”, and he was called back on stage three times to perform it for the audience.

“After the third performance, I received a standing ovation. That was a very special moment for me. Holding On clearly connected with them in a different way. The response was so genuine, and, honestly, that was probably one of the highlights of the whole trip for me,” the artiste said.

For Hezron, it reminded him once again that music really is a universal language. “Reggae may have come from Jamaica, but its message of love, unity and positivity can reach people anywhere in the world.”

Sightseeing took him to places such as India Gate and the Red Fort, and also a ride in India’s famous rickshaw.

“You see these places in pictures, but actually standing there and taking it all in is a completely different experience. Honestly, one of my favourite parts of the trip was something as simple as riding in a rickshaw. It was my first time in India, so even the little things felt like an adventure. Just being able to move around, see the people and experience a little bit of everyday life was special,” the singer said.

Originally from Montego Bay, Hezron is described as “one of Jamaica’s most powerful modern reggae voices”. His breakthrough hit, So In Love, launched an international career that has seen him collaborate with Shaggy, Beenie Man, Busy Signal and more. Among the most popular songs in his catalogue are Taxi Driver, Save The Children, and Man On A Mission.

Hezron says that his music “carries the spirit of Jamaica while speaking to universal experiences of love, struggle, resilience, and hope”.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com