BY KEVIN JACKSON Observer writer—
Maxi Priest—
Reggae singer Maxi Priest scored his breakthrough hit in America 35 years ago with Wild World, a song originally written and recorded by English singer-songwriter Cat Stevens.
The song made its way to number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the UK Singles chart, his first top 10 hit.
In an interview with the Jamaica Observer on the weekend, Maxi Priest, who was born in London to Jamaican immigrants, spoke about the hit song that forever changed the course of his life.
“It’s hard to believe it has been 35 years since my cover of Wild World became a breakthrough hit in America. Funny enough, I didn’t initially like the song. My manager, Erskine Thompson, brought it to me when I was a young, rebellious artist. It wasn’t until I entered the studio with Sly and Robbie and Willy Lindo that they encouraged me to give it a try. Reluctantly, I sang the song, and now I’m truly grateful that I did. It taught me the importance of being open-minded and receptive to advice and wisdom from those who came before me. I must give a big shout-out to Cat Stevens for writing such an awesome song. Thank you,” said the artiste.
Wild World, he said, gave him a significant career boost as well as facilitated much personal development.
“Wild World has opened countless doors for me. It’s hard to fully explain the multitude of paths it has paved. It has connected me with people from diverse backgrounds and walks of life. It has provided a livelihood for my family and others. It has allowed me to travel the world, meet incredible individuals, and learn from different cultures. It has created numerous opportunities and continues to do so. It’s truly remarkable how this song, along with many others songs have become synonymous with my name like House Call with Shabba Ranks, Close to You, Just a Little Bit Longer, to name a few. I hope these songs are recognized for opening doors for others as well,” the singer disclosed.
He signed with Virgin Records for the release of his self-titled album, which contained Wild World as well as the hit cover of Some Guys Have All The Luck and the collaboration How Can We Ease the Pain with Beres Hammond.
The singer hit pay dirt with the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper Close to You, and later with Set the Night to Music (with Roberta Flack), That Girl (with Shaggy), Groovin in the Midnight, Just a Little Bit Longer and House Call with Shabba Ranks.
That Girl has been certified gold in Austria, while Best of Me (a hits collection released in 1991) and Maxi Priest (1987) have both been certified gold in the United Kingdom.
The artiste received Best Reggae Album Grammy nominations for Fe Real (1994), Man with the Fun (1997), and It All Comes Back to Love (2020).
He recently collaborated with dancehall artiste Busy Signal on the song Believe Me which was produced by Mr Doo and Drummer Mark.
“The collaboration with Busy Signal came about when I received a phone call from Mr. Doo. He informed me that he had added Busy Signal to the song, which we had created and written at Big Yard Studio. When I heard the track, I was amazed. It wasn’t originally intended as a duet, but it’s great how it found its place today. The beauty of hard work and finishing ideas is that you never know when they’ll come to fruition. We are now blessed with a new song birthed from this collaboration,” he shared.
The reggae artiste said he has had the intention to work with Busy Signal even before this project, but the timing was just now right.
“I haven’t had the opportunity to work with Busy Signal yet, although we’ve discussed it several times when we’ve crossed paths during radio interviews or performances. It’s fascinating how God’s timing works. However, I truly desired to collaborate with Busy from the beginning, as I think he’s an excellent artiste. I greatly admire his work, and I’m excited and looking forward for the possibility of creating a music video together for this song.”
As for a new body of work, Maxi Priest said: “I’m always working on new music in the studio. This song is a testament to consistency, hard work, and dedication. I’m grateful for the blessings and am currently in the midst of working on two albums — a gospel album and a Maxi Priest album for the world. Many blessings.”
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