Chris Malachi on a mission in 2024
Music is the gift that keeps on giving for singer and songwriter Chris Malachi.
Over the years, Malachi has developed an ardent fanbase, and the reggae artiste is moving to accomplish even more in 2024.
“My given name is Christopher Morris, but I began searching for a stage name, and “Malachi” eventually just dropped in my spirit. When I learned that it meant ‘God’s messenger’ or “‘one who is charged with a message,” it really resonated with me,” Malachi shared.
For Malachi, who came of age being, having been long involved in the music ministry of the apostolic church as the son of a choir director father, now a pastor, “music is something that I grew up very closely with. Many of my family members are musicians or singers in church, so it was always something cool to aspire to because I looked up to my older family members.”
“Nowadays,” he told Loop Entertainment, “I find music helps me to process my feelings. Certain things I can express best when I put it to song, or just sitting with those emotions helps me to understand them better, almost like journalling.”
The Wolmer’s High School old boy and graduate of the University of the West Indies, Mona with a bachelor’s in management studies, said he was inspired to begin writing poetry by his secondary school literature teacher Mr Alexander, in third form.
“That eventually developed into songwriting, when I was 16 years old,” he disclosed.
Crediting the artistic influences of Kanye West, Kirk Franklin, Chronixx and Bob Marley, he told Loop Entertainment: “I try as best as possible to navigate the different areas in my life through my faith and belief system. So those themes are very present in my music, sometimes overtly and sometimes not so much. I'm just speaking from my worldview.”
Malachi released his first seven-song EP, ‘The Messenger’ produced by JLL back in 2019, and subsequently put out a variety of singles including ‘Diamonds, Graveyard Shift’ produced by Yo Christon, ‘Lee Perry’ from producer Boom Draw and ‘Smooth Sailing’ produced by Antsman.
“My catalogue is growing. I’m working on new music and can't wait to share it. I am looking forward to this new chapter and think this year will be a great one for reggae music,” he said.
Malachi teased that a new EP is due soon, and there have been recent song releases such as 'Everything Cool' and 'We Move: The Victory Lap'.
Besides his expanding recording output, Malachi’s not as known work is as a mental health advocate. He speaks candidly when it’s broached about his well-being, which saw him experience a major upheaval eight years earlier.
“The year was 2015,” he recounted, “being a full-time university student, plus working full-time hours at a call centre, and being involved in several music groups at the time, I was under more stress than I even understood. Then things got even more hectic when my grandfather passed. All the stress led to a mental breakdown.”
“I saw a psychiatrist who was able to prescribe medication for me. We would also have sessions every month or so where he would have me explain how I've been feeling. This helped me to learn how to process my own mental state, something which continues to be very helpful to me.
"I learnt how to monitor and address things in my life now because I know when things are beginning to feel off mentally. I also learned that even just having the vocabulary to explain how I'm feeling does wonders when it comes to seeking help,” Malachi emphasised.
Since that pivotal challenge, the singer is intentional about mental advocacy by serving others.
“I believe one of the most impactful ways to be an advocate is in our immediate circles. Helping friends and family to be more aware and sensitive to mental health matters. If we all can learn to do that it can make a huge difference.
“That said, I've been very careful when it comes to more public advocacy because I want to make sure I'm being very responsible and deliberate with my platform. I'm still learning how I can do that more and more,” he shared.
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