Dancehall/Reggae artiste Davlon Marley Richmond who goes by the stage name Davy Marley began his music profession five years ago. However, Davy’s acquaintance with and influence in the entertainment arena go way far; he remembers his family having always been involved in music.
Born in West Watooka, Linden, the singer has recorded and released a number of songs. Some of the popular ones are “Wine Fuh Me”, “King in the Making”, and “More Life”. His latest song, “Head Honcho” is also making waves.
“I was born into an artistic family, Davy said. “My father had an uncle that used to play in a band called Super Dynamite, and Cannonball back in the days. Growing up seeing these things and growing up seeing my family a part of so much [in music] is an advantage… My father is a vocalist, my grandfather was a vocalist, and my uncle is another vocalist. Even on my mother’s side, Eze Rockcliffe is [a relative] and growing up seeing all these people doing [music] gives me an advantage more than the average person.”
His family helped to influence his life in music. Some of Davy’s inspiration, he draws from the people around him. “My family, my friends, everything around me because music is an artiste’s reflection of life. Even my struggles can be an inspiration for a good song. Everything around me that I can see, I can feel, I can touch, is an inspiration…,” said the singer who is currently an electrician technician employed at the Linden Hospital Complex.
Despite the sorrows the pandemic has caused, for the singer it has been a real good year as it was a year of much reflection. Not many would agree with him of course but Davy has opted to look on the bright side.
While the rest of the world is learning about Guyana, the Dancehall singer said, Guyanese are yet to show more appreciation for local music and other arts forms. “Sometimes you struggle with finances to put your music out there and because people don’t really believe in your content, and then you don’t have much help from the private sector and then we don’t have copyright. There’s a lot of disadvantages for Guyanese artistes but we can’t really look at that, we just got to keep pushing and one day, with the strength of the Almighty, everything will work out,” he said.
Davy has also written songs for other artistes. He refers to himself as a ghost writer as his writing for them is not put out there.
He has performed at a number of concerts but one of his biggest to date was at Banks DIH where he performed alongside Monga Honourable and Spice. However, while the singer felt privileged to perform at the same event with popular Dancehall artistes, it was not his most memorable event. “My most memorable event was at the opening of the Linden Town Week. This was my first performance, and I knew once I got on stage and I opened my mouth to sing, from that point onwards, my life would be different. That was the major breakthrough in a mental way… I had grown up with a barrier in my mind and that limitation I had on myself, right at that point, that limitation broke,” he said.
While the radio stations are playing his songs and those of other local singers, Davy would like to see more dedication from them for songs coming out of Guyana. And while he calls for artistes to be more respected by fellow Guyanese, Davy is also beseeching singers to pay more attention to the kind of content they release.
“I want artistes to understand that they’re selling a product and they have to really be careful about what they are putting out there,” he said. “We have to stop taking this music like joke because it’s not. People from all over the world are listening to the music and are paying attention to Guyana. We [need] to understand this fact and know that we are not the corner league set of people anymore, we have the attention of the world and we have to make the best use of it. Even Kartel in one of his recent songs ‘big up’ one of Guyana’s sound system Slingerz. We have to deal with the music more professionally and if we deal with the music more professionally, people are going to receive us more professionally.
“Where do I see myself in the next five to ten years? I see myself as one of the biggest Guyanese Dancehall artiste in the Caribbean.”
According to the singer, this goal is certainly possible as he and his team have been putting in the work. His growth to date, he posited, has been incredible and should his music keep progressing the same way, there is nothing stopping him from making his dream a reality. His team are the members of Code R3d Records, a recording label which was founded in January 2014. He joined them in 2015.
Music means the world to this singer. “Music is eighty percent of me. Without music, I’m nothing,” said Davy. While some hone their art over a period, the singer believes he was born with music in his veins. His skill for observing and interpreting life better than the average person, Davy believes, are the attributes that make him great at what he does.
“The more I do music, the more I find myself, and the more I see things about me I’ve never seen before,” shared the singer.
Davy is currently working on the video for his song “Rough Diamond”. He has an EP he is expected to release next year. He is also working on other music videos with Director Dex and Divine Entertainment. The singer is looking forward to a hyped 2021.
What does this singer do in his free time? Any spare time finds him doing more music. If he is not writing music, he is caught up recording in the studio and when he is not in the studio, he spends his time promoting his music. Music, he said, is a full time career and though he is already has a full-time job, he puts in just as many hours or more into his music.
However, he still likes outdoor fun like swimming, cricket, and football.
Asked about his favourite dishes, Davy listed whole wheat bread, fried rice and Pepperpot.
Davy Marley’s songs can be found on digital platforms including Spotify, iTunes, Audiomack, and YouTube.
