Caribbean reggae singers Xosia, also known as Zosia McGregor, and Conkarah got their creative juices flowing with their new cover of the 1965 classic pop song ‘I Got You Babe’, originally performed by American pop and entertainment duo Sonny and Cher.
Conkarah, also known as Nicholas Murray, told the Cayman Compass, “I have always loved the song, and a very good friend of mine in Jamaica had repeatedly asked me to cover the song, but I just needed to wait for the right person to sing the duet with.”
It was a friend of Conkarah that told him about McGregor, a local on-air radio personality and singer. After checking out her music, he said he was “blown away”.
McGregor said, “I was familiar with Conkarah, as he’s been a guest on Island 98.9 FM many times for interviews. After one of his last interviews, he approached me with the idea of being on this cover song and I immediately said yes. He’s no stranger to cover songs, and he does them extremely well. I’m grateful that this is one he chose me for. I’m a huge fan of UB40’s version and the original, so there was no hesitation.”
A groovy process
Commenting on the creative process behind the cover, McGregor said, “It was a really simple and fun process. Conkarah had previously recorded his verses and choruses, and we decided he should come to Cayman to record my verse.
“He has his personal connection to our islands. As a Caymanian, I definitely wanted to represent that through displaying the beauty of Cayman.”
She added, “We ended up [recording] my parts of the song in the Island 98.9 FM studios.”
In addition to their seamlessly blended lyrics and groove, the singing duo dropped the official music video, which showed many scenic elements of the Cayman Islands, as well as the collaborative brilliance.
“For the music video, Conkarah brought his videographer, Marco Bonnici, from Sicily, Italy, and we brainstormed the different scenes and locations that best fit the vibe of the song, and just executed it. It was a truly fun, and in Cayman fashion, an extremely hot experience,” she said.
“The inspiration for the video was making sure you’d see the beauty and essence or vibes of Cayman, a different side of the island.
“There’s a raw, untouched beauty on the eastern side of Cayman that people who aren’t native or regular visitors don’t often see, so instead of doing the famous Seven Mile Beach, we headed to the Stone Wall/Barefoot Beach in East End, incorporating drone shots of Sea View Road and the Blow Holes.”
The video also featured a live interview on Island 98.9 FM where the pair premiered the song for the first time in Cayman.
“The Cayman Islands has become a very special place to me and very close to my heart. It has been something I’ve always wanted to showcase and promote globally through my music – the beauty and overall vibe of the island,” Conkarah said.
Two other singles from Conkarah, ‘By Your Side’ and ‘Too Late To Be Calling’, were also shot on island.
For Conkarah, the hope is to “‘make more music filmed in the Cayman Islands and hopefully I’ll be able to connect with other local artists, showcasing local talent and overall continue spreading some good vibes”.
McGregor said a debut EP is in the works, which will be made possible through her 2024 arts grant from the Cayman National Cultural Foundation.
Editor’s note: Zosia McGregor works for Island 98.9 FM, a division of Compass Media.
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