J Capri’s dad talks new song in her honour

Persons will grieve differently. Some may cry or isolate themselves, others may pick up a new hobby or lean on their spirituality, while a combination of efforts may work best for others. For Kenneth Phillips, writing a song about his daughter, J Capri, was his way of accepting that she died on December 4, 2015, weeks after a motor vehicle accident.

The ode, Hard to Say Goodbye, is slated for release on August 29, under his J Capri Music Group (JCMG) label. Needless to say, penning the song was a heart-wrenching process.

“Doing the song was me admitting that she is gone, cause I’ve been in denial and I had to get to that place so I could accept the reality and sing that song,” Phillips told The Gleaner.

Emotional experience

“It was really emotional, to the extent where words can’t even describe the feelings. It was something that I intended to do for the longest time, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I just needed to get this off my chest to show the pain that I have been feeling and, trust me, it’s not something that is going to end soon.”

Phillips, who has maintained a recording career as Glamour Murphy for more than a decade, goes by Murphy now, and said he hopes the song will help to preserve the 23-year-old’s legacy.

“I am just doing this as a tribute to her; my main focus is to perpetuate her memory and to build on the legacy that she has left, the song is testimony to that,” he said.

“I am not really doing this for anything else, I don’t even care if it hits, it would help, but that is not my priority or main focus.”

Given name Jordan Phillips, Capri was exposed to the music industry at a young age, having accompanied her dad to studio sessions after school.

“She used to hear my songs on the radio all the time. When her mother was at work, I used to pick her up after school and once I had studio sessions I would take her with me,” Phillips recalled.

Her effervescent energy made its debut on the music scene in late 2010, after she teamed up with producer Rvssian.

Capri is remembered as one of the few females of her time to successfully bridge the gap between the dancehall and hip hop genres, as evident in a slew of international hits like Whine and Kotch (2013), featuring Charly Black, which soared to the top of the Reggae iTunes chart in France, The Netherlands and Caribbean territories.

Other singles including Pull Up to My Bumper, featuring Konshens, Mamacita (2014), with Vybz Kartel and Reverse It (2014) have also amassed millions of views on YouTube.

Legacy beyond music

Though her career only lasted for five years, her legacy remains beyond the music, as there is a foundation named in her honour, complementing Phillips’ record label, which was fomalised this year.

Capri’s cousin, Dahj, is signed to the label, and Phillips said new music is in the works.

“He is not only a artiste, but he plays most of the beats as well,” Phillips said.

“The label was always in the pipeline, but I just wasn’t in the place as yet. I decided that now is the time and we have some good music that we’re gonna be releasing soon.”