With dancehall icon Bounty Killer as a father, you already know Major Myjah was born to make music. The multi-hyphenate artist, serial hit-maker grew up between Miami, Los Angeles, Jamaica, New York and Atlanta, which provided him with a richly unique cultural perspective that speaks to his diverse artistry and continues to set him apart from his counterparts. Get familiar with this VIPER interview…

What five words define your sound?

Boundless, for one – my music is boundless for sure, and over time, people will be able to witness plenty of different sides of me. My music is introspective and reflective, too. 

Tell me something unique about your creative process.

It depends. Very recently, I’ve been accepting life and conversations with other people for inspiration. Some of the best songs I create come from having conversations with people, talking about how we relate to each other. That always helps me relate to someone when I’m speaking in a song. If you can connect with one person, there’s always going to be someone who can connect that has been through similar situations.

Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?

My latest song ‘By Your Side’. This sets the tone for me as a person, not so much the music that’s coming out though. Because as I mentioned, sonically I’m boundless, so the music will not stay here. ‘By Your Side’ is the perfect song that explains not only the given relationship with someone else, but also the relationship with myself. 

What inspired you to make that song?

Reflection. ‘By Your Side’ comes from the constant push and pull of life with myself but also… I think people are mirrors, so it’s like you’re constantly mirroring yourself onto someone else and vice versa. So, ultimately, if that’s how I am with myself, that’s how I will be with other people. ‘By Your Side’ is a testament to never giving up on a relationship. It’s a testament to feeling sometimes stuck in a relationship. And it’s a testament to never giving up for yourself… but you know, also sometimes feeling like, damn, I could do better.

What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music? 

I don’t think there are words to describe that because that is the ultimate test when doing music… how vulnerable can you get? My goal is to be as vulnerable as possible. That’s why sometimes it’s better to have moments of solace to create because you have to get very deep depending on what you’re working on or how you are feeling. There are plenty of songs people  might never hear from me because it’s so emotional. 

What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?

I’ve been on stage so many times now that it’s hard to point, but one of my favourite moments was in New Mexico. I was touring with Ky-Mani Marley at the time and the audience was enjoying the energy, but it also felt like they were grateful to be out and having fun. The love that we received, I’ve never felt that kind of love anywhere else. They were roaring and it was 1500 to 2500 people; that was one of the best experiences. 

I can’t think of my worst experience but there was one time, I think it was the same tour; at the end of that tour, we were in New York and right around that time hoverboard scooters were trendy. I hoverboarded on stage because I was running the day of the show and I hit a stub in New York and twisted my ankle. So that whole show, I had slide around on a hoverboard, which was super cool but in hindsight, it was tough because my ankle was messed up. 

What is your favourite song to perform?

I haven’t done a lot of performances recently. I’m excited to get back out on the road and start performing this new music I have. Once I do that, I’ll let you guys know [laughs].

Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?

Definitely John Lennon and the Beatles. My introduction to music is not based on a song at all. The biggest burst of inspiration to pursue music I ever got as a child was reading a book… it was the autobiography of John Lennon. That probably changed the course of how I created music altogether. I was probably around 11 or 12 when I read that book.

What’s the meaning behind your name?

My real name is Myjah and Myjah in Swahili means my God. Then Major was given to me at four by Freddie McGregor. One day, he was in my backyard writing songs and stuff, and then I went up to him and said, “Uncle Freddie, I could write a song.” I freestyled this whole song for about four minutes, and ever since then, everyone has been calling me Major Myjah. 

If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?

Making music.

What’s success to you?

Success to me is honestly just consistently doing what you love, chipping away at it, and finding new ways to fall in love with those things. I feel like outside of just the like, “Oh, I’m successful…” it’s like the power that you find on the other side of chipping away at something you love. 

What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?

Art imitates life, life imitates art. Every moment I wake up living, it’s an opportunity to change direction. What doesn’t influence life is more of a question I could answer.

Where can people keep in touch with you?

Major Myjah on all platforms, all streaming platforms. Instagram, Twitter. Tik Tok. Instagram was probably like my most active social media and yeah, perfect.