Dancehall Monarch finals: From singing-alone national competition, Shemar Gray takes stage

Equipped with only a bedroom turned makeshift sound room, Shemar Gray reminisces on the grand hurdle he has had to cross from using the sole resources he had of his house to reaching the grand national stage of the Guyana Dancehall Monarch finals.
Traversed to and fro by constant reggae tunes and Celine Dion songs within the four walls of his Linden, Region 10 household, sitting in the countryside, Shemar recalls his primary steps in his music journey.
In an interview with Guyana Times, the Radio Guyana announcer expressed what can only be summed up as a “calling” that commenced 17 years ago, when he was seven years old. The talented star recounts his primary time singing music, which started with a question from his sister, who wanted to know if he could freestyle to a beat playing through the music system in the house.
As words toggled back and forth through his brain, an amazing talent flowed profusely through his mouth.
Casually flowing with the beat, he rode the rhythm and discovered his amazing talent, as he started singing catchy rhymes.

“We were just in the room listening to music, and my sister asked me to sing along to the beat, and when I started freely rapping to the rhythm of the beat, what came out of my mouth was really amazing,” Gray told Guyana Times.
The Linden community from which Gray emerged initially infused support into his young mind at a young age. Through this, a firm foundation has been fostered in him from the unwavering support bestowed upon him. Despite moving to the city, the fostered sense of support is still expressed to him, as he states, “My community in Linden is one that ‘bigs up’ their people always. If Linden people know that you are from Linden and you do something great, they will always big you up.”
It is with this that the then introverted 24-year-old explored the dynamics of his creativity, and transformed his bedroom into a music studio where he himself could have free rein to create music and have it recorded at any time.
As he built his makeshift home studio, the 24-year-old stated, he became his own producer, as the mantle was on him to do so. Not confining himself to only one genre, the artiste began switching into many other genres, as his love for music translates into all forms and genres, from soca to dancehall and chutney.
Clinging to the genre of Dancehall, but not excluding other forms of music, because he had his mind set on expanding his territory, the young man saw it fit to compete in the 2024 National Dancehall competition for Mashramani. According to Gray, “I love all types of music, I won’t ever cluster myself in one genre and keep myself in one position.”
Facing 14 other artistes today in competition at the Kitty Seawall in Georgetown, the 24-year-old has said his competitors are highly respected, and he knows that each of them is very talented. His song is glossed around a story in which he also humbly advises youths like himself to embrace the idea of being oneself, no matter what pathway they have chosen.
Manoeuvring the barbed wire fence between the makeshift bedroom and the National Dancehall Monarch stage, Gray said, his journey is a testament to the power of passion, perseverance, and the undeniable allure of music. (G2)