Two-Time JUNO Nominee Channels Jamaican Resilience Into Powerful Reggae Single Benefiting Food for the Poor Jamaica
Toronto-based reggae, pop, soul, and jazz artist Belinda Brady releases “Rise Up” out now, through Slammin’ Media and Believe Distribution – a stirring anthem of hope and unity born from the devastation of Hurricane Melissa.
Written and composed by Brady alongside her husband, Grammy-nominated and JUNO Award-winning producer Eddie Bullen, the single transforms tragedy into collective strength, with all proceeds supporting Food for the Poor Jamaica to provide critical aid to communities rebuilding across western Jamaica. This is music with purpose: an act of solidarity that honours Jamaica’s national motto, “Out of Many, One People,” while demanding action in the face of disaster.
The two-time JUNO Award nominee brings decades of professional artistry to “Rise Up,” drawing on her Kingston, Jamaica roots and her career performing alongside internationally renowned artists including Shaggy, Julian Marley, and Soca star Denyse Plummer. Brady, who was honoured as one of Canada’s 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women in 2018 and served as music ambassador for UN Women Canada, has long understood music’s power to galvanise change. “Come together, let our hearts unite / Angels fly from around the world / Lifting spirits high, relieving our sorrows / So we can be strong,” she sings, her voice rising with conviction over Bullen’s masterful reggae production. These are not merely lyrics – they are a call to collective action, a refusal to let catastrophe define a community’s future.
What makes “Rise Up” particularly resonant is its unflinching acknowledgement of Hurricane Melissa’s human toll. Brady addresses the crisis directly: “Hey, little girl, don’t you cry / You’ve lost your shoes / Washed away in muddy waters / Hey, little boy, you’ve lost your home / Now everything’s changed.” The verses chronicle real loss—children displaced, homes destroyed, lives upended—before building toward the song’s defiant chorus. “We will rise, we will rise, we will rise,” Brady repeats, her vocals layered with backing harmonies with thousands of voices joining in solidarity
Listen on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/album/0Ly4ky0fmbtHRz5vZhPfy0?si=UQK9WUSKQOiS-sW_SDpdXg&nd=1&dlsi=37750373b9a5490e
Hurricane Melissa ravaged western Jamaica with catastrophic force, destroying infrastructure, displacing families, and wiping out livelihoods built over generations. Brady’s lyric “A mother’s cry, losing all hope / Forty years have gone / All her blood, sweat, and tears” captures the cruelty of such disasters – how decades of work can vanish overnight. Yet the song refuses despair. Instead, it honours the resilience embedded in Jamaican culture, the same spirit that inspired Brady’s father, Carl Brady, one of the original members of the iconic Byron Lee and the Dragonaires, to pursue music as a vehicle for joy and community connection. This is reggae in its truest form: music that speaks truth whilst lifting spirits, that protests injustice whilst celebrating collective strength.
Brady’s track record demonstrates her commitment to using artistry for social good. Her collaboration with producer Leroy ‘Artist’ Brown and the legendary Sly Dunbar on the smash hit “Dance With Me” showcased her ability to merge infectious rhythms with substance. Her designation as a UN Women honouree and years of service as their music ambassador reflect her understanding that platform demands responsibility. “Rise Up” represents the culmination of this philosophy – a single that delivers musically while serving a concrete humanitarian purpose.
Brady, who has steadily built momentum with 15,000+ streams and 90,000+ video views to date, positions “Rise Up” as both artistic statement and humanitarian intervention. For journalists seeking stories that transcend entertainment – where music becomes tool for tangible change – this release offers rare substance. Every stream, every download, every share translates directly into support for Jamaican families rebuilding their lives.
As Hurricane Melissa’s aftermath continues to unfold, “Rise Up” stands as testament to what art can accomplish when purpose and craft converge. Belinda Brady has created more than a charity single; she has crafted an anthem that honours those affected whilst mobilising global support. “Out of many, we are one,” she sings, invoking Jamaica’s motto not as nostalgic sentiment but as present-day imperative. In an era when natural disasters increasingly devastate vulnerable communities, “Rise Up” offers both mirror and roadmap—reflecting present crisis whilst charting a path toward collective recovery. This is music that matters, released at precisely the moment it’s needed most.