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We have to admit, we hadn't heard of J'Calm before… Born Jovane Nathaniel Gayle in Chapleton (Clarendon), the young Jamaican artist first made waves on Instagram (over 600,000 followers) and TikTok (1.2 million followers), so we weren't exactly part of his core audience. His real breakthrough came with the 2023 single 'Tempted', which even landed him on Barack Obama's playlist. A debut album, 'NICHE', followed in 2024, but somehow passed us by. With 'Emotions', however, we're more than happy to make up for lost time.
Things could easily have turned out very differently for J'Calm. As a child, he suffered from severe asthma and underwent multiple surgeries.
Physically, he brings to mind Christopher Ellis, while vocally he occasionally echoes Michael Jackson, alongside Chris Brown and Bob Marley, one of his key inspirations.
The 12 tracks on 'Emotions' lean toward the poppier side of the spectrum, yet remain firmly rooted in Jamaican tradition, and there's hardly a weak moment to be found. Personal highlights certainly include the title track, produced by Tony 'CD' Kelly (a duet with rising dancehall talent Nigy Boy over a revamp of the Answer riddim), the 90s dancehall-tinged 'Weekend', featuring Ky-Mani Marley, the excellent 'Calm Nation', in which J'Calm calls on listeners to join his movement, the vintage-sounding 'Be Yourself', and the infectious closer 'They Didn't Know That', another duet, this time with Khalia.
We'll leave the final word to J'Calm himself: "I felt emotionally expressive and confident creating this body of work, and that's what it is to me… sort of an emotional release!".
Absolute revelation!
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About the author
Jah RebelMore Less
Together with Jah Shakespear, one of the founders of Reggae.be, he first started as a critic and a reporter before in the end of 2014 becoming editor in chief. Divides his time between his two passions: music and Haile Selassie.
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Published
March 25, 2026