6 years ago, 10 Yr old Rushawn Ewears was recorded by his primary school teacher as he sang Beautiful Day by Jermaine Edwards. 6 yrs down the line, the innocent teenager has become a celebrity as several cover versions of his song have been done and gone viral.
A youngster who used music to improve his academic performance in primary school has won the hearts of millions of people worldwide with his rendition of It’s A Beautiful Day, a song that has become a global anthem.
Now age 16, Rushawn Ewears who sang the song – composed as Beautiful Day by a Jamaican gospel singer Jermaine Edwards – when he was 10 years old during lunchtime in his class at the Top Hill Primary School in St Elizabeth, recalled his former principal, Cavene Bisasor-Headlam.
Music lovers from as far away as Malaysia, Indonesia, Africa, parts of Europe, the North, South and Central Americas, and the Caribbean have contributed to Rushawn’s rendition becoming an overnight hit, making the youngster an instant sensation.
Many have described him as a blessing, particularly, during a time when the world needs its spirit lifted.
“There is an innocence in his voice. I wonder if he knows how many hearts he has touched? This song puts me in tears almost every single time I listen,” said one YouTube user, a sentiment echoed by many others.
She describes his story as one of “rags to riches”, noting that the youngster had everything going against him.
“Academically, he was not doing well, and he was at the lowest socio-economic level, but, because he wanted to write and sing his own songs, he decided he had to learn to read,” the educator recalled.
Rushawn’s class teacher at the time, Rose Binns, said that, although he would sometimes have no shoes to wear to school or money to purchase lunch, Rushawn and his brother would still find their way there, just so Rushawn could sing to his classmates.
“When he started singing, the students would gravitate towards him, and that motivated him. He was bent on being the star performer in front of his personal audience,” she told The Gleaner, adding that the young man, who is now a student at B.B. Coke High School, could be heard across the classes.
“His classmates would use the desks as drums,” she added.
That stardom that Rushawn yearned for crept upon him suddenly, and it is not clear if he has received any royalties for the use of his voice in several remixes posted online.
More than 14.8 million people have viewed It’s a Beautiful Day on TikTok, and, up to Sunday evening, different versions were viewed more than eight million times on YouTube.
Edwards along with representatives from Sony Music UK made the announcement on Friday morning.
Label representatives flew down to Kingston this week to finalize the details of the partnership with the Jamaican artiste and young Rashawn.
In an interview with SLEEK Jamaica Media on Friday, Edwards shared that the deal is licensing arrangement that would see Sony power the distribution and licensing of the use of the song and any other remixed versions of the track.
According to the singer, his team had been approached by several major foreign-based labels following the viral ascension of the song which has dominated almost all social media platforms with various remixes.
He, however, opted to go with Sony because they had offered the best arrangement in ensuring all parties involved will be fully compensated for the lifetime of the deal.
The arrangement also means Rashawn will also financially benefit from his talent and intellectual property along with original singer Edwards for any future use globally.
Whilst not going too much into specifics of the deal, Edwards shared that the partnership with Sony extends beyond just that single-beautiful day, but also expands into other projects and areas.
Lloyd George Laing who has been an integral part of structuring the deal with Sony shared that they have already been in talks with other major entities on the colossal impact of the song, which includes international film production houses, as well as other major artists who have reached out to collabs.
Laing shared it was one of the most detailed record deals structured with a significant amount of flexibility for the creators to benefit.
That was one of the main points underscored by Edwards also. The singer wanted to ensure that everyone who was instrumental in the revived success of the song would be a benefactor from Ewears to his school whom they’ve also adopted.
Edwards’ team has adopted the Top Hill Primary where the then 10-year-old’s talent was captured for the world to appreciate.
The label reps have shared that they will maintain a strong relationship with teen talent and his development as he gradually comes into his own an artiste in the future.
Official re-recording of the collab with Edwards and along with the official visuals for the record along with other projects are also in the works in the near future. The song’s newfound success not only presents a Beautiful Day for Edwards, but it also represents a beautiful beginning in the life of young Rushawn and his family.
No comments:
Post a Comment