VANCOUVER – Jamaican lyricist Chronixx, Jamar McNaughton, has a tendency to make music that comes with a proper rhythm and a voice that soothes. Having been involved with and inspired by music from a young age — his first song was written at age five — it’s safe to say that if you enjoy the vibes coming out of Jamaica you already know of Chronixx and if not, well, knowledge is power. “My relationship with music is never to make it complicated or try to overdo it,” says McNaughton. “I try to bring my music as close to my real-life experience as possible and when I’m not doing that, I’m making music to guide my life experience. I want to sing music that will drag me in the right direction.”
The new album, said to be out before summer hits, has been made with that precise mindset of trying to translate music into something tangible in real life. The young producer and lyricist’s relationship with music has consistently evolved with him through the past 20 years and with the new album, he continues to keep up with the main goal of staying true to his inspiration. “I don’t really conceptualise an album. Inspiration comes and you just have to channel it,” he explains. “The vibe comes and you have to find the best way possible to channel it. Sometimes the end [product] doesn’t match the original inspiration. Sometimes it does and when it does, it’s the greatest blessing in the world.”
His last EP, Dread & Terrible, topped charts and had fans in a haze of solid bliss. The anticipation since that 2014 release is at an all-time high for the heads that follow him, a number that only continues to grow over time. Chronixx is on the right path to spread his vibes and music to many more waiting ears; the strong need he feels to create music and connect with people will have countless albums coming from the man who never stops. “For me it’s not a concept in terms of an intellectual concept; you get a vibe and inspiration, and it’s now up to you as a musician, artist, poet or producer to channel that and translate it into a song. It is very beneficial to take some of your work and spend time with it and make it into a body of work. It is beneficial for any musician to create a good body of work that people can identify you with for the rest of your time as a musician.”
With a live band set to perform with Chronixx in Vancouver, the audience is in for a very musical experience. Having spent much of the last few months working on the new album, the man is full of music and ready to share it. “Dynamic” was the word he chose to describe this tour, with a healthy heads-up that Jah9, Kelissa and Jesse Royal will be joining him at different points of the tour. “The best aspect about performing is a part of the process. It’s how inspiration comes down to a song. Performance is an important step where you get to physically translate that same emotion and inspiration to another person. To hundreds of people at the same time is like a miracle. It’s one of the only times when human beings get to connect and feel each other’s emotions. I don’t take credit for that; that’s the power of music.”