Usain Bolt, NJ ‘Living The ... | Hapilos
Track legend Usain Bolt and his executive manager, Nugent 'NJ' Walker, are on a mission to inspire young men and women with their collaboration, Living The Dream.
Bolt said the single, which was written last October, was originally pitched by NJ, "as a song he wanted me to sing".
"NJ write the song and recorded a demo but when I heard it, I thought his vocals were perfect on it. We then went into the studio together and everything else came together naturally," he told THE STAR.
As lifelong friends, the chemistry on the single is evident and the message is clear as they deliver the motivational lyrics, which Bolt said, were inspired by their own journeys as youth from humble beginnings. The music video, which represents the narrative, currently trends in the top-20 on YouTube.
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
Bolt said, "We are always of the thought that we can do anything we put our minds to ... we don't limit ourselves. The main message is to let youths know anything is possible - don't think limits - work hard at your dream no matter where you are from, never give up."
The 100m and 200m world record holder said that they have been getting feedback from persons who say listening to the song and watching the music video has inspired them.
The collaboration, which is produced by A-Team Lifestyle and distributed by Hapilos Digital, is the first of several projects the athlete-turned-producer and recording artiste has scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2021.
"I have a juggling that various recording artistes are featured on. We believed Living The Dream was a perfect way to start the new year coming out of a challenging 2020. This is actually the first single from an EP (that) NJ and I have coming out later this year," Bolt shared.
Last January, Bolt's fans witnessed his exploration and experimentation with music when he teamed up with Trinidadian group Ultimate Rejects for the soca remix, Energy To Burn.
The song did not reach its full potential with most of the major carnivals being cancelled, but Bolt said soca lovers can look forward to more.
For NJ, who is professionally trained as a teacher of history and social studies, he never imagined music would be an area of interest to him.
He said, "I started producing with Usain on a couple of his projects and writing songs became second nature, with the pandemic giving me a lot more time in Jamaica. Music production was like a vice. Of course, I didn't think I would ever be doing music."
During a recording session, he was challenged to sing and he gladly accepted.
"The engineer heard me humming to a tune and asked what I was doing because I'm not known as a singer. I jumped into the recording booth after he challenged me that he never heard me before and the rest is history as they say," NJ said.
http://jamaica-star.com/article/entertainment/20210104/usain-bolt-nj-‘living-dream’-recording-duo-also-working-ep
