Jesse Royal (Jesse David Leroi Grey, born April 29, 1989) enjoyed his early years in the hills of Maroon Town and the District of Orange in St. James before moving in the late 90’s with his mother and brother to join his father in Kingston, Jamaica. As fate would have it, Royal developed a special relationship with Daniel ‘Bambaata’ Marley (son of Ziggy Marley) at school. His friendship with Daniel proved to be fuel to the fire as they shared a deep passion for music and football. Blessed with a voice that captures the pain and hunger of a ‘downtrodden’ people; Royal’s militant character and profound lyricism caught the heart of heralded reggae producer, Philip ‘Fatis’ Burrell. Fatis Burrell, affectionately called ‘Father’ had a great and pure impact on the ‘old soul’ of Jesse; as he credits him as an invaluable inspiration and one of the most influential individuals that he has ever encountered. He started releasing his first official songs in 2011. Working with musicians such as Sly & Robbie, Donald Dennis, Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith and Monty Savory; Jesse is currently in the studio putting the final touches on his debut album with producer Kareem Burrell of the XTM.Nation. Jesse Royal also recently released his debut mixtape dubbed ‘Misheni’, which means ‘The Mission’ in Swahili.
