Reggae fans who have seen super-talented reggae singer Leighton Miller are always immediately impressed by the powerful compelling quality of his voice. Some have even remarked that his voice sounds like a cross between a young Richie Stephens and the late R & B superstar Luther Vandross. However, this humble young man doesn’t allow accolades get to his head, he is on a musical mission.
He scored a minor hit with the single, Silly of Me, and he has followed up that success with the spiritually charged ‘Press Along’. The response to ‘Press Along’ has been so encouraging that Miller flew to Jamaica last week to shoot a video for the single.
“I love how people have been responding to my music, I view this as a religious calling to use my voice to inspire and heal people and that is my main reason for doing music,” he said.
He said that the ‘Press Along’ video is very touching and inspirational, and he hopes that he can lend hope to people struggling to survive the challenges of the inner city experience in the Corporate Area’s poor slums.
“When I saw the video, tears came to my eyes, I know that music can change the hearts of our people, give them hope and inspiration and convert the hearts of those who are on the wrong path,” Miller said.
Miller grew up in St. Elizabeth and later attended Munro College in Jamaica is now a grown man. Leighton currently lives in New York City. He is still the proud owner of that compelling and velvety smooth voice that first had audiences awe-struck, but now he has grown beyond the church and he is now wooing audiences in many different arenas across the country.
Leighton hails from a Jamaican Adventist family and musical ministry was taken seriously at his home. So by the time he migrated to the United States and enrolled in Harbor Fields High School in Long Island, joining the school choir was the natural thing for him to do. His stint with the choir further cemented his love for music. It also broadened his scope and appreciation for the art form.
The experienced enabled him to embrace new forms of music like reggae and Broadway musicals, and he also benefited from classical training that formed part of the choir’s rigorous routine. But equally important were the opportunities that the choir provided for continuous live performances across the state, and in no time, Leighton was an integral part of a school choir that won the county and state championships repeatedly.
Upon graduation, Leighton’s musical thoughts turned towards reggae and R & B. In 2000, he joined a four-man R & B band called Cornerstone. After the band dismantled, Leighton’s next musical destination was reggae. He had always cherished a love for his own music and he always admired the enduring artistry of a number of reggae greats, including Sanchez, Wayne Wonder and Garnet Silk.
“Many of my friends were into reggae and I felt I was missing out on parts of my Jamaican reggae culture, so I wanted to get back to my roots,” Leighton affirmed.
As it turned out, getting back to his roots was not that difficult for the hugely talented Leighton. He already comes to the table with a magnificent voice and a mesmerizing performance style. Additionally, he writes his own lyrics that are anchored on the cultural side of the reggae spectrum. His themes speak of love, relationships, heart break and world politics. By a stroke of luck, he reconnected with an old friend Nikimo Palache who also a passion for music and the collaboration of the two is bearing fruit.
Leighton’s new single, “Press Along” (Punch This Records) is about to hit the airwaves and his previous single “Silly of Me” is still going strong with an EP and full length album on the drawing board. He recently came to Jamaica on a press junket and did interviews on RJR, performed on local cable stations, LINKS TV in Portmore, and HYPE TV in the Corporate Area, and premiered his ‘Silly of Me’ video on both stations.
“It was a positive experience,” he said.
For now, he is looking forward to sharing his eclectic R & B flavoured reggae and his magical voice with the rest of the world.
