Chris Malachi focused on debut album after 'Brighter Days' success

More than six months after his breakthrough hit Brighter Days became a viral sensation, gospel singer Chris Malachi is now focused on completing what he hopes will be his biggest project yet — his debut album.

The Everything Cool singer, who performed Hallelujah and Brighter Days at Sunday's Eternal Father Awards, told THE WEEKEND STAR that much of his time in recent months has been spent in the studio preparing the project, which he plans to release later this year. While the music remains a priority, Malachi has also been one of personal growth and self-discovery.

“I’ve actually been busy working on myself, trying to understand all of the goals I have in my career, life and everything else. I found it important to work on my fitness, diet, and build up my structure so that I can maintain everything that I have [been] working on and working towards. So far, it’s been good, and I’ve been learning about discipline and structure these days. It’s a good thing to be a creative and have that under control, but you also have to pay attention to the other side,” he said.

Part of that journey has involved a rigorous fitness routine, with Malachi joking that his trainer refuses to take it easy on him.

“The routine in the gym changes constantly, as my trainer nah ramp wid me. Every day, he gives me something I feel I can’t do, but I do it. So, I guess it’s something you learn about life, that, just when you think you can’t, you actually can. My diet has been good for the most part because it’s just about being intentional. It’s not about being super rigid, in that you can’t have this or that. You know, I haven’t cut out much. It’s just portion size and control, really and truly,” he said.

The singer said the overwhelming response to Brighter Days continues to motivate him and reaffirm his purpose as an artiste.

“Just to see the level of impact that one song has had is incredible. I’ve had people come up to me, literal strangers, telling me how much the song has encouraged them through their hard times. That’s really what I seek to do whenever I make music. To see it actually panning out that way just confirms that I’m really walking with purpose.”

Though he is not yet a father, Malachi said Father's Day gave him another opportunity to honour the man he considers his greatest role model — his father, Anthony Morris.

“[He] is a great father because he showed me how to be a responsible and compassionate person. He’s a pastor but he also has a 9-to-5 job. So, I grew up watching him go to the country every single weekend to work on the church and come back home, do his church events, and go back and forth between Kingston and Mandeville several times for the week. He would drop home musicians in May Pen and Portmore and get home late and get up the next day for work. So he taught me about having a strong work ethic and building a vision, so he’s very inspirational to me as I try to build my own legacy,” he said.