Evad Campbell is a personification of music

IF YOU cut Evad Campbell you might perhaps see musical notes and not blood flowing from his veins. He is music personified, and when he received his Prime Minister’s National Youth Award for Excellence in the field of music on Saturday, April 20 it was the latest of a string of awards he had received over the years, and it is perhaps the most prestigious one, so far, for something that seems to be second nature to him.

“I’ve always had a passion for music for as long as I can remember. I would always be the one at home knocking rhythms on furniture, or at school in the classroom where teachers would frequently have to tell me to ‘Stop the noise!’,” he shared with The Gleaner.

But, his parents didn’t seem to mind the musical ‘noise’, for he said, “They, from a very early age, my parents realised that I was musically inclined by the rhythms and melodies that I would play so they ensured that my talent was not put to waste. My father signed me up for drumming as an extra-curricular at Mona Prep, and my mother signed me up for private piano lessons at The Music House.”

And, thus, he had always known that he wanted to become a professional musician. But what was driving his passion? Who or what inspired him? “Simply the joy I feel or even bring to others when performing and producing music,” was his terse response.

At Ardenne High School (2010-2017), Campbell was very involved in the arts, the music club, drumming, steel pan, arranging graduation pieces, and was named the ‘Most Talented Student’ at the school’s annual awards show – Student Choice Awards. By the time he was 16 he was also a musician at his church, as well as an arranger for the steel orchestra and youth chorale.

Campbell has won multiple national awards in the Jamaica Cultural Development Corporation annual festival of arts, including ‘Outstanding Leadership to Ardenne Drum Corp’ at the Music National Finals (June 2016), and ‘Most Outstanding Pianoforte Solo Performance’ (2017). In that same year, he attained the highest score in the Caribbean in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations Performing Arts (music). While he was still at Ardenne, he attained distinctions in piano in the Trinity Guildhall Foundation Examinations, in 2011 and 2014.

From Ardenne High School Campbell followed his musical passion to Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, USA (October 2017-May 2020), where he pursued a Bachelor of Music Contemporary Writing and Production degree. There, he made the Dean’s List in 2018 and 2020, and earned a Berklee Achievement Scholarship in 2019.

Now, he is a touring keyboardist, music educator, and arranger. He has worked with internationally renowned artistes such as Tessanne Chin, Romain Virgo, and the ‘Queen of Reggae’, Marcia Griffiths. He was also track programmer for the Digicel Rising Stars reality singing competition (June to August 2019); teaching assistant, Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts (July 2017).

Currently, Campbell is a full-time lecturer at Alpha School of Music, the musical director for Tessanne Chin, and music coordinator for the Ashe Company. He also arranges musical pieces for various groups such as VoiceBox, Bethel Steel Orchestra and UWI Panoridim Steel Orchestra.

His musical works so far include Been There Before by Romain Virgo featuring Masicka (additional keyboards, 2024); You Must Pay by Romain Virgo featuring Capleton (keyboards, 2024); Ocean Eyes by Tori Lattore (producer, keyboards 2023); Meet the Mitchells Theme Song Outro (pianist, 2022); Y our Future Self by KMRE (producer, keyboards, 2022); Modern Day Slavery by LEX M.D. (producer, 2022); and African Reggae Medley by Evad Campbell (arranger, producer, keyboards, 2021).

“Ultimately, I aspire to be an internationally renowned musician with a multifaceted career in music. I want to leave a legacy as someone who has made a positive global impact, inspiring others, doing what I love,” he told The Gleaner.

Evad Campbell is on his way to fulfil his dream as he has performed on: The Gentle Man Tour – Jamaica (2024); Lost in Time Festival – Jamaica (2024); UK Tour with Romain Virgo (2023); Reggae Therapy – Martinique (2023); Redemption – Canada (2023); Reggae Sumfest – Jamaica (2023); Reggae Fest – Grenada (2023); St Kitts Music Festival – St Kitts (2023); and Rum Fest – Jamaica (2022).