These are indeed ‘Brighter Days’ for Chris Malachi

Singer and songwriter Chris Malachi walked the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) Honour Awards red carpet last Sunday with a bright smile and empty hands.

However, by the end of the evening, he had not one but two awards and an even brighter smile. JaRIA awarded him trophies for Breakthrough Artiste of the Year and Song of the Year for Brighter Days. He was beyond elated and told The Sunday Gleaner that he went in “a bit expectant” since he noticed that he was receiving the most votes online.

“I’ve been doing music since 2019 and I would see artistes who I started out with getting Breakthrough Artiste of the Year ... and me seh, ‘Hey, mi deh yah too, yuh know.’ I feel really appreciated and honoured,” Chris Malachi said.

He shared that his motivation for doing music will always be for “the impact rather than awards”, but added that the Song of the Year recognition was “near and dear to [his] heart”.

“ Brighter Days is now a person with a whole life of its own,” he said with a chuckle. “The amount of people who have told me how this song helped them is just unbelievable. Strangers come up to me regularly letting me know that the song has been healing for them. This is affirmation that I am doing something right.”

Brighter Days, a song that is less than two minutes long, was recorded on October 27 last year, the night before Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica. Since then, it has grown into an anthem of hope and resilience, resonating with audiences beyond Jamaica and offering encouragement across borders.

“ Brighter Days changed my life. It spread from social media into churches, schools, radio, and everyday spaces as encouragement during a difficult time. I gave people a song and they gave me back a gift of love ... it was an exchange,” the singer said.

He shared that when the song was first released he received numerous calls to perform at relief fundraising events.

“Some of them were paid gigs, many were free ... but it has been all good. If Brighter Days took me from A to B, then 2026 is preparing me to move from B to C. It has been that year that has shown me what structure and stability look like for a growing artiste. I would like to do more shows, like Reggae Sumfest but, for now, I am working a regular job because music alone isn’t giving me the funds that I need.”

Music remains his focus, and, for all those who are complaining that Brighter Days is “too short”, Chris Malachi has a solution for those who want a longer version.

On Friday, he released Brighter Days 2 with full production by J.L.L., who he calls “my closest friend in music.

“He’s very thorough with the music ... he doesn’t cut corners. So, all those who seh it too short a guh get some more ... and I hope it gets the support like Brighter Days,” he said.

He performed Brighter Days 2 on Sunday to an appreciative audience. He was accompanied by the JaRIA JamRoc Orchestra.

It was in 2019 that Chris Malachi launched his recording career with the song All I’ve Got. He soon released a project by Grammy-nominated producer J.L.L., titled The Messenger, which which brought him to wider attention. Among his better-known recordings are Graveyard Shift, Disasta, Tek On Street, and Army of Light.

entertainment@gleanerjm.com