Grammy Award for Julian Marley
‘Colors of Royal’ wins Best Reggae Album
Published:Monday | February 5, 2024 | 5:57 AMYasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer
The third time’s the Grammy charm for reggae singer Julian Marley.
On his third nomination, Julian Marley won his first Grammy award. The album Colors of Royal, a project in collaboration with Alexx Antaeus, was announced as the winner in the Best Reggae Album category Sunday evening at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
“Thank you to all the @recordingacademy members who took the time to listen, vote, and nominate Colors of Royal for Best Reggae Album. We are humbled and appreciative,” Antaeus wrote on Instagram. Antaeus, who is originally from Greece and who is known in Jamaica as a restauranteur, is an award-winning composer, recording artiste, and producer.
In his acceptance speech at the awards, Anataeus said, “I’d like to dedicate this to the people of Jamaica, who have accepted me as one of their own. And they have lived up to the motto of the country, ‘Out of Many, One’,” he said.
Julian, 48, is the son of reggae icon Bob Marley. He is currently touring the album and on the weekend performed at Jammin, Australia’s flagship reggae festival.
Colors of Royal, an eight-track offering, includes the songs Jah Sees Them, Robbed (Julian Marley, Antaeus, & Notnice); Inna Mood; Made For Your Love; Roll; The Tide is High; Roll (Rodando Mr Sonic Remix) Julian Marley, Antaeus & Bahiano; The Tide Is High (Pentagono Remix) Julian Marley, Antaeus & Melo El Melodico. It showcases production work from Antaeus, Notnice, Mr. Sonic, Sean Alaric, and Prince Productions.
The album was released in March 2023 and is available via Monom Records/Digital Minds on all streaming platforms.
Marley revealed that the album’s name, Colors of Royal, was inspired by his nickname, JuJu Royal. It also came from a tip to him being the only one of the legendary Bob Marley’s sons born in England. He was raised by his mother, Lucy Pounder, who is originally from Barbados.
It has often been said that once a Marley is in the Grammy race for Best Reggae Album, he or she always wins. But Julian has proven this theory wrong on two previous occasions. Julian was nominated twice in the Best Reggae Album category - Awake in 2010 and As I Am in 2020.
In a previous interview with The Gleaner, music marketer Sean ‘Contractor’ Edwards, said that the album “has the new one drop reggae sound ... not the traditional one drop sound like Burning Spear. It’s reggae infused with other genres, and it is highly appealing. It’s the kinda reggae like what Protoje does.”
Edwards, who had predicted that the winning reggae album would be either Colors of Royal or Burning Spear’s No Destroyer, told The Gleaner on Sunday evening that he was happy for Marley’s win.
“Julian’s win is a well deserved win for such a talented musician and singer. I admire his work ethic and his perseverance through personal tragedy, and he continues to hold the Marley brand high,” Edwards said.
The personal tragedy that Edwards referenced was the passing of Marley’s 12-year-old daughter in 2019 following a battle with cancer.
For the 66th Grammy Award, five albums, namely Born For Greatness (Buju Banton); Simma (Beenie Man); Cali Roots Riddim 2023 (Collie Buddz); No Destroyer (Burning Spear); and Colors of Royal (Julian Marley and Antaeus) vied for the coveted gong in the Best Reggae Album category.