By Sadeke Brooks—

With an album that was released in July last year, accomplished singer Maxi Priest says he’s still busy promoting Easy To Love, which he says has been doing very well amid generally low album sales worldwide.

The album was released last year through VP Records and Maxi Priest says he has been actively promoting it.

“A lot of people tend to think that once you have completed the album, it is over. It’s a massive world out there and a lot of people that I have to introduce to what I am bringing to the table,” he told The Sunday Gleaner.

He added that he has shows lined up in Barbados and New York, as well as 13 dates in Europe.

However, there are no dates in Jamaica for the artist, whose last performance in the country was at Jamaica Jazz and Blues two years ago.

But Maxi Priest is gleeful at how well Easy To Love has been doing since it was released.

“It’s been doing fabulous. I just heard from VP that I am their top seller. I want to thank everybody for their contribution and support,” he said, smiling.

While reluctant to reveal the actual sale figures, Maxi Priest says he is fully aware of how things have changed since he topped the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with Close To You, in 1990.

“We are doing well within the climate that we are in. We can’t compare 1990 figures to 2015 in all shapes and form of economics,” he told The Sunday Gleaner, noting that illegal download has been a problem.

Still, Priest is very upbeat.

“I am not discouraged, it just makes me adjust. If you sit down and cry about spilt milk you can’t move any further. You just dust yourself off and make the best of the situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, he insists that Easy To Love has at least a year worth of promotions left. What he says persons should not expect, however, is another album in the very short term.

Still relevant

“If you have something out there and it is doing well, then why disturb it? Why are you cancelling it? If I am going to cancel it, it’s like I kinda feel like I am in trouble,” Maxi Priest said.

Having worked with a few international record labels, Priest says he has also learnt from them as it relates to when he releases albums.

Maxi Priest has achieved quite a bit since he started his career in the 1980s, topping charts in the United Kingdom and the United States. He has also released numerous albums including You’re Safe, Intentions, Maxi, Bonafide, Fe Real, Man with the Fun, Combination and 2 the Max.

And after decades of being in the game, Maxi Priest is still relevant and has a relatively hectic tour schedule. He credits people’s appreciation of his work as the main reason.

“That’s got to be the appreciation from the folks towards what I create musically, as well as the principles and how I carry myself as a person. Music is not just music, it is a lifestyle, a way of life,” Priest told The Sunday Gleaner. “I have been in the business long enough to understand that and I try to stay in tune with what is around me, with the new generation and how music has changed.”

He also said that his successes and relevance are also closely linked to the support he gets from the public.