ABOUT: “E- PICK ”
“E- PICK ” is a weekly Saturday post on www.mckoysnews.com, where Amber Crowl (Radio Personality, Host, Writer and Activist) discusses happenings in Jamaican Music, Entertainment Topics and Cultural Ideas. Amber welcomes your questions and comments on Mckoy’s News. and you can send e-mails to irieamber@gmail.com.
WELCOME TO THIS WEEK’S E-PICK. IN THE SPOTLIGHT THIS WEEK IS BOB MARLEY’S GRANDSON, SKIP MARLEY WITH HIS FIRST #1 INTERNATIONAL HIT SONG.
This week, Bob Marley’s grandson Skip Marley jumps into the spotlight with his very first number one international hit song, as “Chained to the Rhythm” which is a collab with Katy Perry struck no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart! This is big news as this is the FIRST TIME a Marley has achieved this honor, despite the many songs that the Marleys have given us so far. The song entered the Chart at no. 4 and this is easily the highest that any member of the Marley family has entered an international chart.
The song was released on February 10 and, Perry and Skip Marley performed it on the Grammy Awards on Feb. 12, just 2 days after the song’s release. Then it debuted at No. 3 on the Digital Song Sales Chart, with 108,000 downloads sold in the week ending Feb. 16, according to Nielsen Music. Following its release on Feb. 10 it went to No. 15 on Streaming Songs (14.7 million U.S. streams). It has also had over 50 million in airplay audience after its first full week of tracking (ending Feb. 19).
And while Skip Marley is new to Billboard, Katy Perry is no stranger to the Chart. This is her 14th Hot 100 top 10, with the video for “Chained to the Rhythm” getting heavy rotation on music channels around the world. The song is really her song featuring Skip and he definitely adds the Jamaica flavour that several American mainstream artistes seem to be seeking out of Jamaica at this time. Katy puts her signature sound on the track and Skip provides a fresh, somewhat familiar vibe with his undeniable Marley sound. He adds a new highlight to his family’s legacy, as the grandson of Reggae icon Bob Marley, meeting the expectation of fans with his presence on the track. The talent which runs through the Marley family is well known and Skip has entered the music scene in a big way with his Katy Perry collab, making history by earning the Marley family their first Hot 100 top 10. Congrats Skip! I hope to hear more from this young and gifted artiste on future tracks.
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