Omari Banks
ANGUILLA--Omari Banks, well known for his talent and showmanship in both the cricket and music worlds, is capitalising on that recognition when he travels to Mumbai, India, from May 17 to 28, to officially launch the release of his single entitled “Reggae Summertime,” taken from his recent album “Sunlight.”
Banks said, “The video accompanying the single was filmed in Anguilla and showcases its culture and strengths.” The timing and location of the single’s release coincide with the Indian Premier League competition in Mumbai, one of the biggest cricket competitions in the world being held at the same time. Banks is already known in India as a cricketer and now he will re-introduce himself as a musician.
Son of Anguillian reggae legend Bankie Banks, Omari grew up surrounded by music and musicians and started performing as a child with his father. However, at a young age it became evident that he was a gifted athlete and at the age of eight he was introduced to cricket, fell in love with it and excelled. In the early 1990s, he was coached by Cardigan Connor, currently Anguilla’s Parliamentary Secretary for Sports and Tourism, and also Anguilla’s first professional cricketer in England and Australia. At 17 he began playing professional cricket for the West Indies Under-19 team, and then moved up to the Leeward Islands Senior team as the youngest person on the team. He joined the West Indies team in 2003 and played in 10 test matches. He played professional cricket for 11 years and at the age of 28, decided he wanted to move on to concentrate on his music career.
Three years after starting his music career, he was named Anguilla’s Artist of the Year and is now working and traveling to international venues with some of the world’s most renowned reggae artists. His music genre is reggae, but he described it as reggae rock as he loves the electric guitar and infuses it into the mix. He said, “My musical taste ranges from reggae to ballads, but ultimately the lyrical content and positive message are the most important aspects.” His vision is to make a positive impact on others through lyrics which convey truth, positive messages and encouragement to always aim to do better.
