JahZeal and Usain Bolt team up on ‘Try Harder’

Singer JahZeal is upbeat about his collaboration with sprint legend turned music producer Usain Bolt on the single ' Try Harder' which was released last month.

"Songs I write are inspired by the beat, so I normally choose a particular phrase from the beat that inspires a melody. Then this song in particular, I just saw it fit to put words of encouragement to the melody inspired by the riddim in these challenging times," JahZeal explained. "The song is definitely personal. It was also specifically written as a form of motivation to anybody who may have had thoughts of giving up."

Produced by Bolt's A Team Lifestyle label, the song is accompanied by a music video which was shot at the Big Yard studio in Kingston and directed by Jay Enigma.

JahZeal explained how the collaboration with Bolt came about.

"It so happened that Bolt, his business partner and the team at A Team Lifestyle do their production at the same recording studio as I do, which is at Big Yard Music. And I happened to be there around them from time to time as they put their musical pieces together and they have always allowed me the privilege to vibe with them. My engineer Kamal introduced me officially to them as an artiste. I was already vibing around them regularly, so I was given the opportunity to work with Bolt on this track," he said.

He shared that it was an interesting and different experience working with the legend.

"As a producer I can assure you he knows exactly how he wants his music to sound. So, the song was recorded in his absence and sent to him, he listened and rebooked, and had me change both verses as he thought more emphasis could be placed on the lyrics that I had written. I tried it and it was magic, so, all in all it was a swell experience," said JahZeal.

He said the feedback to the song has also been positive.

"People are motivated and inspired and I get tons of videos daily that reflect how appreciative the people are to have a motivating song like this in these times," JahZeal shared.