My music is like vitamins'

Known for his uplifting songs and cross-generational appeal, reggae star Tarrus Riley headlines this weekend's Little Jamaica Festival

- RICHIE ASSALY

Tarrus Riley’s 2006 single “She’s Royal” has evolved into a modern reggae classic.

A beloved fixture in Jamaica’s reggae scene, singer-songwriter Tarrus Riley has produced plenty of hits over his two-decade career. But none have the staying power or the irresistible charm of “She’s Royal.”

The 2006 single — which racked up nearly 120 million streams on YouTube — has evolved into a modern reggae classic, spun at cookouts, weddings and parties around the world.

“All Caribbean women really, really go for that song,” says Danae Peart, a “very proud born Jamaican” and Torontobased critic. “That song will still get the biggest forward in any party that it’s played at — like, constant pull-ups.”

This weekend, Riley brings that energy to the Little Jamaica Festival in Toronto, where he’ll perform alongside Dean Fraser and the Black Soil Band on Saturday evening. The free, family-friendly festival celebrates the rich cultural heritage and vibrant community spirit of the York-Eglinton area known as Little Jamaica.

“Canada has always supported me and been there for me, and so it’s a pleasure to represent Jamaica here with a free show,” Riley told me over the phone this week.

In recent years, Little Jamaica — a historically Black neighbourhood in midtown — has been forced to contend with construction delays due to the beleaguered Eglinton Crosstown LRT, and the increasing pressures of gentrification. Jason McDonald, the Business Improvement Area chair for York-Eglinton, says the festival offers an opportunity to highlight Jamaican culture in Canada through music, dance, food and art, and for businesses to showcase their offerings to new visitors from across the city.