Jamaican-born singer Dalton Harris captured the attention of many television viewers worldwide on December 2 when he was declared the winner of the 2018 UK X Factor talent competition. But long before the 24-year-old was captivating international audiences, he was a homegrown talent with a struggling career in his homeland.

Harris rose to prominence in 2010 after winning the Jamaican televised Digicel Rising Star talent competition. He was soon professionally adopted by esteemed reggae producer Donovan Germain who tried his best to groom the young talent and further his career beyond the “Rising Star” stigma. Harris released three albums and several singles, but only made a slight impact on mainstream radio with the song Pauper. The young crooner later left the island to work in the United States and further his career. During this period Jamaicans had no general interest in the singer nor his music, forcing him to seek assistance, attention and appreciation from an international market.

Harris has always had the “X Factor”. His performance on the UK television series was nothing extraordinary from what he did on Digicel Rising Stars or local shows thereafter. The only things that were noticeably different is the confidence in his stage presence and the refinery of his voice which may have been a result of vocal training. However, the conviction in his performances was always there, which allowed listeners and viewers to feel every emotion he poured into his performances each week. Harris failed to acutalise into the megastar he is now while in Jamaica due to a lack of support from music industry gatekeepers and consumers of music.

NO AIRPLAY

Radio disc jocks and sound system selectors were not consistently playing his music for the public, and Harris’ voice slowly faded into the background as he fell into the stigma of being another Rising Star contestant who did not amount to anything.  Music industry gatekeepers extend beyond disc jocks, as I am also placing blame on the stagnancy of Harris’ career in Jamaica on his mentor and manager, Germain. As an artiste manager, Germain was responsible for ensuring his client received all the promotion he could get on all media platforms. More so, Germain is an established producer who could have better used his connections to advance Harris’ reach and impact as a Jamaican artiste.

Since his X Factor feat, several Jamaicans have declared their love for Harris, but where was this love years ago when his albums were not climbing to the top of music charts?

There is a “bandwaggon” mentality in Jamaica where people will embrace an idea, thing, party or person only when it is convenient and beneficial to them, or when it is the “in thing to do”. This concept is seen for instance with singer Tessanne Chin who was exalted by Jamaicans after she won the United States The Voice competition in 2013. Chin received a lavish welcome from the government and international companies like Digicel made her a brand ambassador in light of her visibility and influence because of her achievement. Five years later, where is Tessanne Chin? Are Jamaicans still talking about her or exalting her? No they are not because Jamaicans do not find Chin relevant or beneficial to Jamaican culture right now.

I know this sort of vacillation by Jamaicans will no doubt affect Harris’ local presence, but I am also convinced he realised the “bandwaggon” nature of Jamaicans years ago when he did not rise to the fore after winning the Digicel Rising Stars competition. Harris got the memo, and left Jamaica in pursuit of “other” and now he is finally being recognised for the talent and range he already inhibited.

I hope Harris steers clear of Jamaica, as we had the opportunity to help him and claim him but we neglected the young star because he was not the trend anymore.

Contrary to what some believe, Harris does not owe anything to Jamaica, not even a thank you. I encourage him to spread his wings and maximise his potential in the United Kingdom and beyond. I hope he will make good use of his new recording contract with the Sony-owned Syco Music, and becomes all he can be.

News peg: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/entertainment/20181204/finding-next-dalton-harris