Hope Vocals carries Portland Maroon sound to global TikTok audience

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Hope Vocals, a rising Maroon fusion performer and cultural worker, is showing how Jamaica’s old-time traditions can still command space in modern online culture.

The Portland-born singer, whose roots are in the historic Moore Town Maroon community, drew wide attention after posting a TikTok performance built around Revival music, Maroon forms, Kumina touches and present-day Jamaican sounds over the popular Hill and Gully rhythm.

Her delivery quickly travelled beyond her own page, passing 700,000 views and prompting thousands of people to make their own versions and responses on TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.

The clip also reached Stephen ‘Di Genius’ McGregor, the noted producer behind the Hill and Gully rhythm project. McGregor, impressed by the way Hope Vocals brought several Jamaican cultural expressions together, reposted that performance and other footage of her singing traditional folk material to his Instagram Stories.

After that, supporters began filling Di Genius’ comment sections and social media pages, pressing for Hope Vocals to be formally placed on the Hill and Gully rhythm project.

The public push helped open the door. Two weeks after the video started building momentum online, McGregor invited her to Geejam Studios in Portland to record an official song for the project. The music video was shot the week after, and Hope Vocals is now waiting on the project’s formal release.

A performance that began as a straightforward cultural offering has grown into wider discussion about Jamaican identity, Maroon heritage and the need to keep traditional practices alive.

“I was definitely caught off guard,” Hope Vocals admitted. “I am known to be culturally involved, but I didn’t know how Jamaica would receive a video of me fusing so many genres into one.”

She said part of her early worry came from using Kromanti elements, since many Jamaicans are still not familiar with that part of the culture.

“Kromanti isn’t as well known among Jamaican people as Kumina or Mento. We’re still trying to get the word out there,” she explained.

Hope Vocals said her choices came from long exposure to cultural life inside the Moore Town Maroon community, where she has learned how different songs, rhythms and themes can sit beside each other.

“These things come naturally. I have an ear for music, so I sit down and listen and see which song fits where,” she said.

For the artiste, digital platforms can help protect Jamaican traditions by putting them in front of younger audiences who might not otherwise encounter them.

“The internet can be used to do good and bad, but with one click, thousands of people can support you and learn something new,” she said.

Hope Vocals is also moving ahead with her wider recording plans. She has already released original work, including her first single, Realize, while continuing to centre Jamaica’s cultural legacy in her music.

With veteran music publicist and manager Ralston Barrett now working with her, she is preparing for another phase of her career and says her Maroon background will remain central to what she creates.

“I will definitely commit more to my Maroon culture, and it will be incorporated into future projects,” she said. “But expect a broader musical journey from me. Hope Vocals is full of many surprises.”