David M’s entry into music was inevitable. The singer who shot onto the musical radar last year with the thought provoking single Lest We Forget, studied music at an early age.

But his musical aspirations were put on hold due to personal reasons.

David M (real name David Minott) who later studied law at the Norman Manley Law School is the head of a local corporate entity. One of his songs, Girls Night Out, a bubbly dance ditty has been making inroads on American rhythmic stations, and this has prompted the singer to push full speed ahead to complete work on his debut album.

This writer caught up with David M recently and he spoke about his emerging career and the sacrifices that he had to make.

Kevin Jackson (KJ): You studied music at an early age and you played in an orchestra. You also participated in a number of competitions, but how did the music training and experience prepare you for the musical journey that you have now embarked on?

David M: It impacted on me positively. My father was like the Joe Jackson and made sure if I was going to do music, I had to do it properly. However I really wanted to play soccer.

KJ: You wrote songs for artistes such as Freddie McGregor, the late Gregory Isaacs, Coco Tea and JC Lodge among others. Did songwriting open any of the musical channels for you?

David M: It was not just about writing songs. It was being a part of a group. I remember at one time Denroy Morgan wanted to use one of my songs but it didn’t work out. I was working with people like Gussie Clarke, Handel Tucker and Clive Hunt and I felt very blessed. At the time I was getting really involved in the music. I really have to give thanks to Gussie for pushing me because if it weren’t for him, I don’t think I would be where I am today.

KJ: You studied law and you are the head of a corporate entity. But why did you choose to pursue music?

David M: I am very proud of my family business and I am happy to be doing what I do day to day. But everybody has a personal passion and I’m glad I was able to pursue this passion.

KJ: Your song Lest We Forget made people stop and take note. How did that song come about?

David M: During the 90’s I penciled out a song at the time when Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa but I didn’t get to finish the song. Fifteen years later when Obama became President of the United States I decided to finish the song. I offered the song to Dean Fraser for Tarrus Riley to record and Dean called me back and said that I should sing the song. The initial feedback from radio was awesome, and the video was picked up by BETJ without any form of label support or backing.

KJ: Talk to us about the album that you are now working on.

David M: The album is mostly inspirational songs but we have some reggae, R&B, dance and pop songs. The album is called Here Comes Your Life and it is scheduled for release on February 1, 2011. Myself and Bowie McLaughlin did most of the production. When I started out, I didn’t have the confidence to go into the studio, but I realised that Bowie and I had a perfect chemistry that worked.

KJ: What exactly is David M bringing to the table?

David M: I’ve been lucky to have had eight to ten years of classical music training from Paulette Bellamy, so I have been trained to do what I am doing. I have performed in Festival and I have won many medals. Regardless of what I do or whether I get big record sales, this is something I love and enjoy doing. I don’t think I will be stopping.

NOTE: David M’s single Girls Night Out is currently enjoying mainstream and rhythmic spins on at least ten major radio stations across the United States. His song Lest We Forget was recently used by the United Nations in their Players for Peace programme.