Melodic saxophone sounds warmly reel us in as McKada’s rich, compelling vocals float through the airwaves with an interpolation of Dennis Brown’s “Have You Ever” chorus. Just before we lean into the expected romanticism of the familiar tune, she immediately sets the mood with hard-hitting conscious lyrics.
Her matter-of-fact first line, “The world is at war, pain on every side” puts us at attention for the song’s main message, “Love Is Essential”. Given the number of genocides occurring globally and the inevitable increase in crime due to economic instability, her single is timely and well-needed. With it, McKada reminds listeners to “put love on the front line” as “for hate to lose, love must win the fight”. The “Love Is Essential” singer/songwriter says like many people, she is deeply troubled by the state of the world. With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, she’s encouraging individual reflection, accountability and self-love as the best way to combat these issues long-term.
“I’ve always loved Dennis Brown. He’s the Crown Prince of Reggae for a reason, and with Reggae Month and his birthday both being in February, it felt right. My mission as an artist and his overall message in music are quite similar. Plus, Have You Ever is also a favourite for me, and one of his biggest tunes worldwide,” she explains. “If we practice expressing love to ourselves, we’ll be better at showing love. That means romantically and otherwise, it will impact our families, communities and the world,” she continues.
McKada’s powerful voice is well suited to her music, which she describes as “serious Issues on a beat with a strong spiritual backbone”. Her lyrics are inspired by a strong sense of justice, love, and spirituality. The artist embraces any opportunity to connect with listeners for their feedback via social media with TikTok videos and live talks and hopes it will translate into more opportunities to share her views and perform.
Her single, “Love Is Essential”, is available on all streaming platforms, and we’ve uploaded it here for easy listening, press play and enjoy!