Binghi brings global journey to Jamaica with ‘I Am Blessed’

Released by Lion Rock Music Group and distributed by Tuff Gong International, I Am Blessed is the first release from his forthcoming album, Heart Of Love, and introduces Jamaican audiences to an artiste whose personal and musical journey has stretched across Europe, Asia, Africa and Jamaica.

Born in Sri Lanka and adopted as a baby into a European family, Binghi, whose given name is Patrice Cyril Lingam Amrein, grew up in Switzerland. While his adoption placed him in a loving and supportive family, his early displacement would become part of a much wider personal journey of identity, belonging and cultural connection.

Music was one of the constants. Recognizing his aptitude from an early age, his adoptive parents enrolled him in music school at around three years old. He later completed formal conservatory training in 2011 before expanding his craft into composition, production and audio engineering.

Over the years, Binghi’s journey has taken him across Europe and back to his roots in India and his birth country, Sri Lanka. His travels later extended across Africa, taking him from Senegal in the west to Madagascar in the east, with time also spent in Ghana. Throughout these experiences, music and sound became an important means of connecting with people, places and cultures.

“My journey is not just a journey through the globe, but through the passage of time,” Binghi reflected.

That journey eventually led him to Jamaica, where he has now lived for approximately two-and-a-half years, immersing himself in the culture and music that had influenced him from afar. There Binghi has also developed connections with figures within reggae’s roots community, including Ishmael McAnuff, Cedric Myton, Kiddus I, Winston McAnuff and Rashaun “Kush” McAnuff. It was also in Jamaica that the name Binghi took hold. Through his encounters with Rastafari and people at the Tabernacle, he began being called “Binghi,” a name derived from the Nyabinghi tradition within Rastafari. “The name,” he says, “simply stuck.”

But the inspiration for I Am Blessed came during a considerably more difficult chapter. The song was born during a rough period in his life when he found himself searching for the strength and motivation to keep moving forward. Much like the biblical figure David, who found strength to encourage himself in a moment of adversity, Binghi turned to his faith and his music.

“I Am Blessed’ came from my heart, very, very deep,” he said. “I wrote it to encourage myself going through a rough time.”

During that period, Binghi also recalls reasoning with Jacob Abunah of Bobo Hill, an encounter he says provided further encouragement as he navigated that chapter of his life. What began as a deeply personal act of self-encouragement would ultimately become a message for others. Throughout I Am Blessed, Binghi confronts adversity while returning to themes of faith, resilience, kindness and choosing good over evil.

“I know it’s all about the time, so still I try and the future shall be bright,” he sings, before returning to the song’s central affirmation: “I’m blessed, I am blessed.” That philosophy runs throughout the track, acknowledging life’s difficulties without allowing them to eclipse hope. Its call for “more love and righteousness” captures the conscious and spiritual message Binghi hopes listeners will take from the record.

For Binghi, Jamaica has become more than a creative stop. His time on the island has deepened his relationship with reggae as a vehicle for spirituality, consciousness, upliftment and connection.

The recording of I Am Blessed also brought together experienced Jamaican musicians, including renowned saxophonist Dean Fraser, keyboardist Franklyn “Bubbler” Waul, bassist Delroy “Worm Bass” Nevin, and veteran mixing engineer Errol Brown, among others.

Now, Binghi is ready to share not simply a song, but a message shaped by his own experiences. “I got a lot of inspiration from the people, and so I want to give back to the people,” he said.

Written by Tamara McKayle (STARS Publicity)