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\n\tIn the time since Ziggy Marley\u2019s last proper solo studio album, the nine-time Grammy-winning reggae star survived the COVID-19 pandemic, produced his late father\u2019s box office-smashing biopic and dropped a star-studded duets album featuring the likes of Tom Morello, Busta Rhymes and Sheryl Crow. Naturally, it was time for a reset.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\t5 Takeaways from the 2026 Island Music Conference: Songwriters\u2019 Workshops, AI & the Future of Reggae at the\u00a0Grammys\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\tTo do so, Marley headed out to Los Angeles to build Rebel Lion Studio, the perfect new playground for him to freely and fully experiment with recording in 432 Hz, the sonic frequency that grounds his quietly defiant Brightside<\/em> LP.<\/p>\n \n\tComprised of just eight songs, Marley\u2019s new album certainly doesn\u2019t overstay its welcome. Instead, the breezy record blends deep personal revelations with a world music-infused roots reggae foundation, resulting in a morale-boosting listen that fashions universal proclamations of hope out of grounding Rastafari principles. Grammy-winning instrumentalists Sheila E. and Trombone Shorty appear on standout track \u201cWhy Let the World,\u201d while pop-soul vocalist Nikki Costa and ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro guest elsewhere on the tracklist.<\/p>\n \u201c<\/em>Mike Schuppan, who engineered the record, put the studio together right before we came into record Brightside<\/em>,\u201d Marley tells Billboard<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s like building your house and then living in it.\u201d<\/p>\n Brightside<\/em> first entered the world as a vinyl-exclusive release, arriving on Record Store Day (April 18) alongside a signing at Los Angeles\u2019 famed Licorice Pizza. By May 1, the album hit streaming services with a new Big Boi-assisted version of \u201cRacism Is a Killa,\u201d adding another lauded voice to the LP\u2019s tight circle of collaborators. Marley will support his ninth solo studio album with the 20-date Brightside Tour, which kicks off on June 19 at Fox Theatre in Tucson, Ariz., and concludes on July 22 in Nantucket, Mass., with Hawaiian reggae sensation J Boog appearing as a special guest on select dates.<\/p>\n \n\tBelow, Ziggy Marley talks about the peculiar emotions around the heart-wrenching \u201cMany Mourn for Bob,\u201d celebrating 20 years of his classic 2006 album Love Is My Religion<\/em> and diving straight into his next record.<\/p>\n When did you start to feel that a new album was taking shape?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI started writing some songs while I was on the Bob Marley movie set, which was about three years ago. After the movie wrapped, I kept writing because I was feeling down, and that inspired me to write songs like \u201cWhy Let the World\u201d and \u201cJah We Give Glory.\u201d I just wanted to express myself in the music, and that eventually led me to \u201cMany Mourn for Bob.\u201d It was a season for writing.<\/p>\n \n\tI also felt it was time for an album; I like doing albums, and it\u2019s been almost eight years since I\u2019ve done one like this. And I have my own studio now, which makes this record the first to be recorded there.<\/p>\n What else changed about your creative process for Brightside<\/em>?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tThis is the first album I\u2019ve recorded in 432 Hertz, which is the frequency I\u2019m tuned to now. 450 Hertz is the standard musical tuning. I experimented with 432 Hertz on tour before I did [Brightside], and it just felt good to me. Regardless of what they say it does \u2014 it vibrates close to the frequency that human beings do, and it\u2019s also used for meditation \u2014 if I didn\u2019t feel how I feel, then I wouldn\u2019t use it. This is the only frequency I\u2019m using from now on.<\/p>\n \n\tIn the past, I would also go into the studio without songs being fully thought out, but this time I had a really clear picture of where I wanted to go beforehand.<\/p>\n Do you think that comes from growing deeper into your artistry?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tThat\u2019s exactly it. Doing things differently was a big part of this record.<\/p>\n We also see that in the way the album was released. Why did you opt for a physical release for Record Store Day before bringing the album to digital platforms?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tI was always making this record to be pressed on vinyl; it was never about how it was going to sound digitally. We also wanted to respect the people who buy vinyl because I love vinyl. We must support the local stores; they support artists more than streaming. And if the technology goes down, you no longer have the music. What are you going to do without music? You have to own your music because the system can and will take it away from you.<\/p>\n What song demanded the most from you?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\t\u201cMany Mourn for Bob\u201d is the most emotional one; I have a deep connection with that one. When I was recording it, there was definitely sadness, but also understanding. It\u2019s like when you realize that Superman has his kryptonite, and he\u2019s not all-powerful. It\u2019s a weird thing to feel.<\/p>\n How did Sheila E. and Trombone Shorty end up on \u201cWhy Let the World?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tWe had another drummer on there at first, and I was like, \u201cYo, we need to lighten up this thing.\u201d So, we called [Sheila] up, she came in and said, \u201cYou need a good percussionist on this.\u201d She blew my mind. She\u2019s more incredible than people know; it\u2019s much greater than people understand. She\u2019s a spiritual musician, and that\u2019s the type of musician I like; it just happens<\/em>. Pure feeling.<\/p>\n \n\tTrombone and I toured together a few years back, and we just vibed. I felt this record needed that New Orleans-type horns vibe. I like the spirit of the music down there, so Trombone helped me fulfill that dream.\u00a0 I got a couple of shows with him coming up soon, and I\u2019m also gonna talk to Sheila when I have some gigs close to her.<\/p>\n
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