Elijah Mawli shares life story on ‘Winner’
Published:Friday | December 10, 2021 | 12:05 AMSade Gardner/Staff Reporter
“It takes a lot to make a winner,” a soulful Elijah Mawli sings on his new single Winner.
The EastSyde Records-produced track is an autobiographical account of once being naïve and reactive, but evolving for the better through the lessons of tribulations and teachings of Rastafari. The message complements the Norwix Media-directed music video, which shows how a young boy, who turns away from wrongdoing, wins in the end because of honest labour and steadfastness.
“It’s all in the lyrics. It’s my past experience, what I’ve been through,” Mawli told The Gleaner. “I’ve been with EastSyde for so long, from the very start in 2017… . I remember back in the days when all we had in the studio was a computer and a few sponges trying to capture that sound, and now we have people from Sony in the studio right now, so it’s like we’re coming from absolutely nowhere to a place of accomplishment, and that’s really one thing that inspired the song.”
He added that overcoming personal obstacles like a bad stutter and past relationships also served as inspiration for Winner. While he declared that he’s not a perfect person, his vulnerability and triumph are resonating with audiences.
“The feedback has been great, and I appreciate it so much,” he shared. “I heard my mother playing the song multiple times, so to know that I can create something that someone so close to me can appreciate is amazing. I’d love to express my gratitude to those that have been sharing my music and leaving those positive comments and sending me good vibrations.”
Despite the positive response, Mawli has detached himself from personal expectations, stating: “Music is something that I allow to grow into whatever it will grow into naturally. Whatever happens, happens, but I’m hoping for the best.”
Given name Robert Henry, Mawli’s musical entry came in 2017 as part of Volume 11 of Twin of Twins’ cult classic Stir It Up.
“I totally appreciate them. They’re like foundation for me in regards to where I am right now. They lived across the road from me, so as a youth, I would go over there, and because I was so passionate about Rastafari, they said, ‘You know mi a go start call you Elijah because you [come een] like Elijah’. That’s how I got the name.”
From there, his musical journey saw him performing at various gigs and studio-hopping while juggling a call centre job. The Red Hills, St Andrew, resident even recalled walking long distances from his home on weekends in search of studios, and he received a breakthrough after catching up with an old school friend.
“He said he knew some guys out in Bull Bay setting up a studio, and he thought I’d fit in perfectly there. I didn’t hesitate because I was looking for a studio at that time … . I went there with my guitar and a friend of mine, and we started playing, and Stanley, who is my manager now, said, ‘I’m signing you’, and I said, ‘Okay’, and that’s where it started.”
They’ve worked on tracks like These Wings, Caribbean Love, and Jah Calleth, which ooze his rock and reggae-infused signature. Mawli said he is also a lover of blues music, which fans will hear on his brewing EP.
“We entered the scene with a difference. Just like how Skillibeng came in with his style of dancehall music, I’m coming with my style of reggae music, so you can definitely expect a difference in regards to where reggae is concerned. I’m sure people have done it already, fused reggae and blues, but I’m putting my difference to it.”