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At six-feet five, Omari Banks, who hails from Anguilla, is a rather warm and friendly individual to interact with. He has played several test matches as part of the West Indies cricket team, and his discussions revolve around music, cricket and his excitement to perform in India. Kicking his India tour off in Pune, he will be performing in Mumbai on May 24.
Interestingly, Omari gave cricket up to follow his passion in music. Talking about the shift, he says, “People were sceptical when I made the call. They were shocked that I was giving up cricket at 28, when I still had a good six to seven years more on the field. However, the scepticism did not last long because within three years, I proved myself as a musician and went on to become popular and win awards too.”
Banks recalls that his first music lessons were taught to him by his father Bankie Banx. He would listen to him perform in their barn house and imitate him. “This is an interesting story, my favourite toys at the age of two were a guitar, a ball and a bat. My mother has a baby book that mentions these details. My first performance was by accident when I jumped on stage in Milan, Italy, and started singing. My father was performing and I was accompanying my mother to watch the show.”
Omari Banks released his first single ‘Move on’ which was inspired by his own life at the age of 28
(Shankar Narayan/HT PHOTO)
The reggae artiste went on take part in school bands, choirs and also carnivals. “I would perform at various pageants and talent shows, I won a few prizes too. My music teacher adored me because of my ability to sing and play the guitar.” After high school, Banks performed live at several events and eateries. “This was before I started playing cricket professionally. I used my musical talent to earn money because by then I had already decided that I wanted to be an international cricket player,” says Banks.
At 28, Banks released his first single ‘Move on’ which was inspired by his own life, his emotions, and all the lessons he learnt as a cricketer. “What is important is that you learn and grow from your experiences. I draw my influences from life. I write songs based on three main perspectives, one to inspire people positively and push them to move forward, second is to spread peace and love throughout the world and third is to see relationships and love prosper.”
On Bollywood and Indian music, Banks adds, “I have heard this song called ‘Zingaat’ (Sairat; 2016) and I loved it. It is catchy and I am going to download it and take it back home. I also respect AR Rahman for his music. I am looking at collaborating with Indian artistes and spreading the reggae vibe. Music is all about the energies that go along with it and about building bonds.”
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