Meet Sonny Meraki | Artist/Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sonny Meraki and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sonny, what role has risk played in your life or career?
If anyone takes a risk, it should, firstly, have an underlying positive purpose & intention. Risk taking often involves removal of/from comfort zones, which in turn is important for personal growth and development. I would also encourage any individual to be mindful of the timing when taking risks. Timing is vital in life.

I personally took a huge risk leaving my full time job at the end of 2020 (during COVID) to pursue my musical career.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I still consider myself as a young developing artist. My main goal is to create music that contains a positive message or story, or thought-provoking ideas and seeds that can inspire change within an individual, and subsequently, the world. I am still in the process of developing my unique style and techniques. Reggae, Hip hop and Old school Soul are the main genres that I plan to utilize and incorporate within my music.

I am proud, grateful and humbled to be where I am currently In my journey. I’ve been involved in music since the age of 9, but I only started to take it seriously as a career since 2019. Leaving my full time job during COVID at the end of 2020 was a scary and very risky move to take, but things eventually worked out, despite some brief difficult patches. I’ve been fortunate to have access to long term, consistent performing opportunities which have kept me going since 2021. I will forever be grateful to the Creator for the strength & overall favour, and to every restaurant / establishment owner who gave me weekly opportunities which provided considerable stability

Some of the most important lessons I’ve learnt along this journey : (1) Be eager to see yourself disciplined and consistent first with the right activities and habits instead of being too eager to achieve wealth or success (2) Never let a day pass without giving gratitude, especially in the moments where things may not be in our favour and it may be hard to do it. (3) Regardless of what may manifest within (emotion etc) or around you, it is your duty to radiate as much light and healthy energy onto others, and this requires consistent development of self awareness, self control, and humility. Depending on your tendencies/personality, you’ll have to train yourself to take nothing personally, to become a person who can be unphased or at least composed, rather than reactive to everything that may be undesirable.

I want people to know that I’m not in this industry for fame or status. I’m doing this to leave a different legacy for myself and for my family. The legendary H.I.M. Hailie Selassie spoke about “becoming something we’ve never been” in one of his iconic speeches . These words represent the core of my current personal journey and serve as a part of the message I want to encourage to any listener, while being transparent about my own personal failures, past unhealthy phases and struggles.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If they are into live Music, I would encourage them to come to my weekly gig on Saturdays nights with my live band at an upscale restaurant called QP Bistro. I’d also recommend them to check out other awesome bands like “Rite Side of Red” at a popular spot called Mojos Bar on Wednesday nights, or the band “MooTown” on Sundays at Little Bristol in Speightstown.

Favourite Eating Spots – (1) The Rustic Chef restaurant at Limegrove Lifestyle Centre (22) Surfers Cafe in Oistins for Breakfast (3) Oistins Bay Gardens Fish Fry on Friday nights

Best Activities – (1) Island Safari (2) Harrison’s Cave experience (3) TORE Barbados (4) St. Lawrence Gap (Night life area) (5) First and Second Street in Holetown (more night life areas) (6) Limegrove Lifestyle Centre (shopping + eating)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Most definitely. I’d like to first shout out the persons who recommended me for this opportunity – LaShawna Griffith & Akeem Chandler – Prescod. My Mother (Annette Clarke) and my girlfriend (Nicole Krkljus) have also always supported me through my musical endeavours. My Mother exposed me to a lot of quality music from an early age and encouraged me to be involved in musical groups since the age of 9. I’m also definitely grateful for the musicians in my band ELEV8 (pronounced elevate) for being on this journey with me.

Instagram: @sonnymerakimusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4CWAqxpMFZ-kXvKunb3AzA

Other: LinkTree – https://linktr.ee/sonnymeraki

Image Credits
First 4 Photos – All Taken By Akeem Chandler-Prescod ( Instagram – @stonedwithcupidphotography ) Album Artwork for my song “That Place” – Created by Odell Hussey ( Instagram – @odellhussey )