INTERVIEW: Raging Fyah looks for ‘Better Tomorrow’
Photo: Raging Fyah’s new single is “Better Tomorrow.” Photo courtesy of the band / Provided by Press Junkie PR with permission.
Roots reggae band Raging Fyah are living up to their name. The Jamaican group, who were nominated for the Grammy Award a couple years ago, have recently released their new single, “Better Tomorrow,” and they are playing at the VP Records’ 40th anniversary bash Saturday, Aug. 10 at Central Park SummerStage in New York City. That night they will be joined by Elephant Man, Junior Reid and Estelle.
In a relatively short amount of time, Raging Fyah has earned the respect and admiration of the music industry and tons of fans around the world. In return, it’s evident that the group cares about the very world they are influencing. Simply look at “Better Tomorrow,” which is an anthem of positivity.
“It was inspired based on everything that was happening worldwide,” said Delroy “Pele” Hamilton, bassist and backing vocalist for the band. “There was so much injustice against humanity and all of that, we thought that we needed the voice of the people, so out of that space we created a song. And we know that love is the ultimate gift and the antidote for all that is happening, so we just offered that vision.”
Hamilton said he hopes that “Better Tomorrow” will be the first single off an eventual album. This should be good news to fans because Raging Fyah has had great success with their previous recording efforts. They self-released Judgement Day and Destiny in 2011 and 2014, respectively, and then their VP Records debut was the Grammy-nominated Everlasting in 2016.
“I think it can definitely be a song for an upcoming project and album,” he said. “We have been playing it live on tour, and it is so well received. As a matter of fact, we use the song as final song for the set. It is so well received amongst all the venues that we’ve been.”
As far as the rest of Raging Fyah’s set list, the band has been selecting tracks off their three albums and also trying out newer material. Their collective goal is to achieve “positive vibration,” as Hamilton put it.
Finding Music at a Young Age
Hamilton said he fell in love with music at the age of 8 when he was attending church services. He eventually started “fooling around” with musical arrangements, keyboards, drums, bass and guitar. The instrument that stuck was the bass.
“I decided on the bass around 2002,” he said. “That’s when I made the final decision — you know what, I’m just going to make this my own.”
As a child, his first love was gospel music, but as he grew up in Jamaica, reggae started to creep into his influences. “Growing up as a teenager, I started branching out more into reggae,” Hamilton said. “I could hear reggae out in the streets, but I didn’t get into it until my teenage years. It’s been the best decision of my life.”
When Raging Fyah eventually formed, Hamilton said the group members realized they needed to become a family in order to make everything work. There needed to be mutual respect and the willingness to compromise amongst Hamilton and his band mates — Demar “Demz” Gayle, Anthony “Toni” Watson, “Grossi” Groskopf and Odean “Journey” Ricketts.
“It’s a family at the end of the day, so you spend a lot of time together,” he said. “Even arguments or fights I don’t see as difficult. It’s just part of expression, just like any other family member, so I wouldn’t say it’s difficult overall. It’s just a family lifestyle that you get used to overtime.”
He added: “The future is looking great. … We are working on a new project, a new album, and the sky’s the limit. You would classify us as a young band that has already received a Grammy nomination. For us, the sky’s the limit, so we’ll just continue working and putting in the hard work and just continuing being positive.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Raging Fyah’s new single is called “Better Tomorrow,” and the band will play Saturday, Aug. 10 at the VP Records’ 40th anniversary bash at Central Park SummerStage in New York City. Click here for more information.
