Ocho Rios artiste ready for the big stage, creating first video

He has been dabbling in music since boyhood and now, at 24 years old, is ready to stake his claim in the highly competitive industry.

Jadae Gest, who goes by the stage name Cookie, said songs already produced under his Oven Production label can catapult him to the next level.

He told The Beacon that his short-term projects includes an album, which features a collaboration with well-known entertainer Cheziedek. He said Tuff Gong Records is also distributing his ‘Don’t Lose Me’ Soca song.

Furthermore, the artiste is working on the official video for his ‘Far Away’ hit, which he said has been getting the warmest reception.

The video shoot took place at Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston last week, and on Monday in the artiste’s Pineapple community in Ocho Rios, St Ann.

“This video is going to be like a movie; there is just something special about it,” Cookie said. A taste of the video is posted immediately below.

Cookie stated that, as is the case with ‘Far Away’, virtually all of his songs strike a chord because they are about people’s experiences. “I mostly do Reggae and Dancehall music – mostly reality tunes. Most of them are things that I have been through,” he further said.

Elaborating on how his music is inspired by his struggles, Cookie noted that he lost his father Trevor Gest in 2011.

His mother Roxenne Gest has been the tower of strength for him and his siblings.

The ‘Birth Fi This’ artiste told The Beacon he was actually born for music.

He got the extra boost growing up in Pineapple around young artistes like Dada as well as Lacka Squad Records, which is popular in St Ann.

“Growing up in Pineapple teaches one to be an independent youth. It is a place of mostly successful and hardworking people,” Cookie said. He added that Yohann Duvi, also called Gorilla Star, contributed significantly to his early career, especially as a songwriter.

Cookie, as shown in this photograph, has been cooking up a musical storm since he was a child.

Cookie used the stage name ‘CJ’ when he was a child.

He explained the change: “I am now using the name Cookie because, when I was younger, I was always about the cooking of music. That’s why I am using Cookie and Oven Production; I am cooking up right now.”

Cookie is committed to satisfying people’s appetite for uplifting music. “People can expect great things from me; I may even win the Grammy one day,” he said, oozing confidence.

By Horace Mills, Journalist

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