BY BRIAN BONITTO—
Associate Editor —
Emilio Estefan
NINETEEN-TIME Grammy winner, Emilio Estefan has been a mainstay in pop and Latin music for decades. Now the Cuban-American producer is breaking new ground with a reggae song One World, One Prayer .
“I wrote the single two years ago. It’s such a perfect anthem of love…Everybody can relate to the song because it’s a good message. They are playing it in England, Germany and France,” Estefan told the Jamaica Observer from his Florida home yesterday.
“It’s in keeping with my philosophy – people should be praying, doesn’t matter what you believe. But as long as you’re a good person and you’re sending a good message and you ask for something that is good, we need that. We need a lot of unity…this song is about hope, about no hate, and love in the world,” he continued.
Penned and produced by Estefan, the message-laced ditty is a take on Bob Marley’s One Love. It was released on May 22 and features Cedella Marley, Skip Marley, Shaggy, and Puerto Rican singer Farruko. The Wailers, Bob Marley’s band, played on One World, One Prayer.
“It was a lot of chemistry with me, [bass guitarist] Aston [“Family Man”] Barrett and the band. It was an incredible journey. They are talented and ambassadors worldwide,” said Estefan.
The song is also getting a plug from principals of Paramount Miami Worldcenter sykscraper in Florida, which lights up at 7:00 pm daily with the words “One World, One Prayer”. It pays tribute to health care professionals, first responders, essential workers and others on the front lines of the novel coronavirus fight.
The 67-year-old Estefan revealed that One World, One Prayer is the first single from a 14-track, yet-to-be titled album slated for release on August 22.
“We have a lot of happy music and we have a lot of great songs. We put our heart into this album. It think it’s really gonna do well worldwide,” he said.
Estefan is the husband of Cuban-American superstar Gloria Estefan. He was born in Cuba and migrated to the United States with his father in the late 1960s. He first came to prominence as a member of the Miami Sound Machine for which Gloria was lead singer.
As a producer he shaped the careers of several Latin stars, including Jon Secada. He has also produced major events for television such as the Latin Grammys, Hispanic Heritage Awards, Nuestra Navidad, as well as productions on HBO and Showtime. Estefan has also produced musical events at the White House.
In November 2015 President Barack Obama awarded the Estefans with the United States’ highest civilian honor — the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Estefan, who was last in Jamaica four months ago on his third visit, believes there are positive spin-offs from the upcoming album for Jamaica.
“It’s a lot of promotion for Jamaica too. I hope its brings a lot of attention to Jamaican music…Jamaican people are very welcoming, and the music has a lot to do with that,” he said. “I hope people receive this album with the same love we did it.”
You must log in to post a comment.