Singer hopes to lift spirits with ‘Sunset’

Fusion artiste Samuel K. Golden is hoping that his latest single, Sunset, will be a beacon of inspiration for Jamaicans who were negatively impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

Golden wrote the song because he was heartbroken by the destruction and loss of life, but was heartened by the resilience of the people who engineered hope and stoked inspiration with each day's progress and random acts of kindness.

"I released Sunset to further inspire the survivors, to give Jamaicans hope that tomorrow will be a better day. I love the spirit of togetherness of the Jamaican people, how people from the diaspora and Jamaicans themselves have rolled up their sleeves to help their fellow Jamaicans," he said. The single has been popping up on radio airplay lists and Spotify playlists globally.

"We can only help to rebuild the island one day at a time, and, with each sunset, comes the opportunity to begin anew again," said the poet-turned-singer.

Golden hails from Vancouver, Washington in the US and is an artiste who has taken the unconventional route of turning his books of poetry into a debut EP, Footsteps: Love and Sweetness.

Perhaps his best-known single is Countdown To Our Time, which has climbed to number 17 on Euro Indie Music Charts. He's been getting radio play in cities such as Atlanta, Virginia and Miami, and in countries including Brazil, Jamaica, Barbados, and Ethiopia. Golden's sophomore project, an indie-pop album, is coming out this January. The album will also have two reggae covers because of his deep and abiding love of Jamaica.

He still works full-time in tech management and his wife and sons have supported his journey from poetry to music.

"My romantic poetry drove me in this direction to turn loving words into romantic music. I received both fan and industry excitement about the sound of my music and the soft message of love," he said. He has written love poems for years, a ritual which evolved into two published poetry books. Golden has continued to hone his skills during open mic nights at local music restaurants and bars in Washington.

"I love music. I love the way it makes me feel. I love being able to transfer my thoughts into lyrical expressions with melodies that resonate to something meaningful," he said.