Eight years after her CD, Unite, earned her international recognition as a gospel reggae musician, Mississauga’s Kay Morris is launching her highly-anticipated followup, Unconditional Love, at a star-studded concert Sunday in Toronto.
It’s a long time between albums, but Morris has been busy. Although music fans know her as the undisputed Canadian queen of reggae, most of the world, especially in Africa and the Caribbean, knows Morris for her humanitarian efforts through her Kay Morris Foundation.
The Jamaica-born Morris wears both hats with ease, and has a string of awards to prove it — including three times the winner of the Canadian Reggae Music Award and recipient of the Nelson Mandela Humanitarian Award for her fight against HIV/AIDS and poverty in Africa.
Morris will be joined at Sunday’s launch by Jimmy Lala, Landlord out of Bahamas, Soldiers for Christ Youth Choir and Roxanne Robinson.
Morris says she wrote 98 per cent of the songs on the 18-track album, which conveys her powerful message of hope, love and forgiveness.
Morris says the inspiration to write these uplifting lyrics comes from her personal life experiences, especially her missions in Africa and other parts of the world.
“However, my biggest influence for this project is Jesus Christ, how he demonstrated his unconditional love for mankind by dying on the cross for our redemption, and the examples he set by feeding the poor, healing the sick, and showing unconditional love to the rejected outcasts in society,” she said.
Sunday’s event takes place at Light and Life Ministries, 22 Elrose Ave., starting at 7 p.m. Admission is free. Donations will be collected towards Morris’ mission to Africa and Haiti. The Unconditional Love CD will be on sale for $20.