A gifted teenager in music is nothing new in Jamaica, which has a rich history of producing child stars who have evolved into major stars over the years.However, when that youngster is an unassuming 16-year-old boy from rural Jamaica, who had top recording artistes lining up at his school gate begging to record on his catchy dancehall rhythms, he must be viewed as someone special.Despite his youth, child prodigy David ’D-Mo’ Morris, a student of Manning’s School in Westmoreland, has had local radio disc jockeys and dancehall deejays queuing up to get his attention as they seek to use his music, which includes the pulsating ’Haunted House’ rhythm. The rhythm has been creating waves locally.Prior to the start of the summer, the situation outside D-Mo’s school gate had got so demanding that his mother, Melaine Morris, was forced to intervene, demanding that his dad, businessman Noel Morris, the chief executive officer of House of Leeds Production, which includes a state-of-the-art music studio, relieve him of negotiations with artistes, disc jockeys and producers.Musical backgroundD-Mo, whose talent has caught the attention of established international figures such as Irish pop singer Sinead O’Connor and Multi Platinum British Rapper Dizzee Rascal, is from a musical background. In addition to the musical involvement of his dad, his eldest brother X-Facta is a rising DJ and another brother Chad is a talented singer."I draw my inspiration from listening to a wide genre of music that include rock, pop, jazz, classical music, reggaeton, calypso and Latino beats," said D-Mo. "My mission is to use these sounds to enhance and create an exquisite flavour of reggae and dancehall music for a globalised reggae audience."Freedom to experimentAt the House of Leeds, where he has the freedom to experiment in the recording studio once he has completed his school assignments, D-Mo has a number of experienced hands, such as the studio’s musical director and world-famous reggae guitarist Lincoln Thomas, studio engineer Sheldon Bernard, bassist Trevor McKenzie (of Beres Hammond’s Harmony House) and promoter Worrel King, of King of Kings Production, to guide him."He is a genius," declared King. "What is happening to him in terms of the attention he is getting locally and internationally is not surprising to me because he has a genuine feel for the music."In reflecting on his rapid climb up the musical ladder, D-Mo said his love affair with music and rhythms started at age 12 when he began to experiment with musical computer applications in order to assist the early development of his brother X-Facta, who was making his debut into music.While some persons would have lost their focus under the glare of literally being chased around by established recording artistes and from hearing the rhythms they have created drawing rave reviews from international acts and getting heavy rotation on the radio, D-Mo has remained quite focused and is striving daily to better his craft."I have read about the success of American musical production icons such as Jermaine Dupree and Quincy Jones and I am confident that I can replicate their success," D-Mo said. "I know where I want to go in music and am ready to do the work that is required."The fact that he is now holding his own alongside the old-school styled producers and has the extra advantage of being Internet savvy; there is no question that D-Mo is on the cutting edge in terms of exploiting the cyber world for his musical advancement.With a catalogue of over 500 tracks and invitations to Europe and other premiere reggae destinations, D-Mo is definitely in the game and going places.
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