Hope Vocals turns Maroon heritage into viral Jamaican music moment

Recording artist Tasha Nicole, who performs as Hope Vocals, is gaining national attention after her Hill and Gully rhythm performance drew more than one million views and sparked thousands of fan videos. The Moore Town, Portland, artiste said the moment came from a natural connection to her Maroon heritage and a desire to share that culture more widely.

Hope Vocals said she has been active in Kromanti culture from age five. Raised in Moore Town in the Blue and John Crow Mountains, she developed as a singer, drummer and dancer through the Granny Nanny cultural group, where she said her talents were encouraged and shaped.

She said the viral performance began while she was preparing breakfast and enjoying the rhythm. She later went outside with her abeng and drum, leaving the rest, as she put it, to God and the ancestors for inspiration. Although she only recently began pushing her cultural work online, she said her formal journey as a recording artiste started last year.

Hope Vocals said her Maroon identity helps separate her from other local acts, and she is comfortable being distinctive. Asked about debate surrounding the Hill and Gully rhythm, she said each person has a lane, while she intends to keep her work positive and focused.

She also argued that Maroon history belongs to all Jamaicans, saying Nanny fought not for one group only but for Jamaica as a whole. In Moore Town, she said some older practices have faded, but the abeng is still used at events such as Heroes' Day, when someone dies, and when hunters need help in areas without phone signal.

Since the video took off, Hope Vocals said she has worked at Gee Jam Studios and is grateful for the opportunity. She and her manager, Sash Produces, also identified as producer Rushton Barrett, are preparing new music, including “God's Timing” and “Warrior,” expected this month.

She said she plans to branch out while keeping cultural elements in her sound. The name Hope, she explained, came from her grandmother after she was born prematurely at six months and two weeks, when her family was unsure she would survive. “Your uniqueness is your superpower,” she said.