Jhayee - Contributed

His DNA infused with Caribbean rhythm, his creativity inspired by American R&B, and his ethic built on a foundation of unwavering commitment to the production of music of high quality, recording artiste Jhayee is launching a feel-good vibe in Jamaica with his latest single 'Mop It Up'.

The single that has been released locally features dancehall star Fambo and is already picking up momentum on local radio stations, including Hitz 92 FM, Irie FM, Zip FM and Hot 102 FM. Jhayee describes Mop It Up, written by Mel Holder, as a song with a reggae vibe that is "uplifting, spiritual, with no explicit content but pure fun. It has elements that make it joyful."

He is particularly pleased that the song has begun to gain traction among the young. "There is a young generation that is telling me that you don't have to degrade women to have a great song; that you can have fun without being nasty," he said.

This revelation ties in with his philosophy of working to produce the best quality of music, lyrically and otherwise. "I believe that the lyrical content of a song comes from the heart and speaks volumes of the individual from which it comes," he said. Even though he didn't know it at the time, it is a philosophy that started with a seed that was planted and grew in him while he was growing up in Guyana.

The son of preacher Jason Elcock, Jhayee grew up in a family of nine, all of whom were involved in music. At church, the senior Elcock was also the musical director who played the guitar and wrote the music. However, it took a while for the young Elcock to recognise his own musical talents. "I wasn't really aware of my musical talents until my early teens," he said.

Now, venturing out on his own again and after the relative success of his first album True Inspiration, Jhayee is looking to make a bigger splash with Mop It Up as he prepares to release an EP somewhere down the road. It was while putting together that EP that he met musician and producer Holder, who introduced him to Lloyd Evans, one of the founders of Blue Mountain Records.

"Lloyd opened up a window that only God could have led me to," he said of his meeting with Evans.

Together, they have launched out to make Jhayee's latest works a world-wide success. The EP is almost done, but before he releases anything else, he is working to make sure that Mop It Up does its job in announcing his arrival upon the world stage. A second single is expected in another few months, but in the meantime, Jhayee and Evans are laying the foundation for the works which are to come.