Image via JDash Creative Lab
In October of 2018, I was only a few months away from being unemployed. I’d gotten my dream job in New York but swiftly realized that loving music didn’t equate to wanting to put up with the internal politics of the music industry. Meanwhile, more than 1,500 miles away, a Jamaican artist named Mortimer just released his fifth song, “Careful.” Keep people at arm’s length, he cautioned in a voice both somehow gritty and gentle. Otherwise, “they will let you down.” The message resonated. Listening on repeat, I trusted no one, bright-eyed but jaded, hanging on by a thread.
At my old label gig, I placed Mortimer’s press photo on a playlist cover spotlighting emerging artists in Jamaica. I closely followed this reggae fusion scene, a blend of pop, R&B, soul, hip-hop, dancehall, and roots. Over a half-decade ago, now-massive names like Koffee, Lila Iké, and Runkus were only a few releases into their careers, but they already showed massive promise. They’d followed a generation of reggae revivalists (Protoje, Chronixx, and Jah9) to further expand Jamaica’s already dynamic musical landscape.
Even then, I could already sense that Mortimer would become an integral part of Jamaica’s next mainstream boom. Things kicked off with the 20-million streams racked up on 2019’s “Lightning,” a tender ode to his wife and mother of three. From there, he dropped several more projects and collaborated with some of the genre’s biggest stars. Meanwhile, I moved from New York to L.A. and left the music business entirely. Yet years after first obsessing over his music, I’m finally talking with Mortimer about his debut album, From Within.
Co-produced by longtime collaborator and acclaimed producer Winta James, the album unfolds as a mental health conversation rarely seen in reggae music. “The entire album was about me questioning myself, writing to myself,” Mortimer tells me. Comprising fourteen powerful tracks spanning roots reggae, ‘80s pop, R&B, and even reggae disco, the LP pulls back the curtain on his internal struggles with depression and efforts to create a new narrative about male emotions.
From Within is equal parts societal critique, self-discovery, and growth plan. A cast of cross-generational cameos help him lay the foundation on the album’s first two tracks (“In My Time” feat. Damian Marley and “Bruises” feat Lila Iké and Kabaka Pyramid). They confront the dysfunctional cycles that often lead to generational trauma: from media propaganda to political corruption, slavery, and war.
In the poignant “Not a Day Goes By,” he reveals a breaking point in which he was even prepared to take his own life. “A lot of experiences in my life led to me feeling like I didn’t want to belong here anymore,” Mortimer tells me candidly. “And I know that a lot of people can relate to that. We might not say it because, people kind of look at you as weak, or whatever it is, and I feel like I feel the opposite. I feel like it takes a certain kind of level of strength for someone to admit feeling that way.”
Mortimer’s openness reflects a broader movement to destigmatize mental health in Jamaica. Recently, the Jamaican Psychological Society launched the SOS (Stomp Out Stigma) initiative, which shares mental health resources and invites influential voices to join their On the Couch series, a simulated therapy session aired on social media and YouTube. Featured artists like Tessellated and J.L.L. appear in these sessions, aiming to reshape cultural views on masculinity and mental health.
In that same breath, Mortimer has traded caution for care, finding new solace in his music. He knows this path is ongoing, but for him, it’s a journey worth celebrating. “It’s a dance,” he reflects, “a forever dance.” – Paley Martin