WASHINGTON — Ziggy Marley initially brings reggae to mind. Now, the seven-time Grammy champ is stretching his chops by adding acting to his arsenal.
Marley tells WTOP he’s been looking for ways to reach new listeners.
“We have to find different ways to expose the music,” said Marley, who’s coming to The Fillmore in Silver Spring on June 21. “And one of the best ways is through the TV and through film and books and other mediums. So we get the opportunity to do a thing on ‘Hawaii Five-0,’ including acting.”
Two songs from his new self-titled project premiered on the hit CBS show in February. He plays a character named Bones, written specifically for Marley.
“For me personally, the acting on ‘Hawaii Five-0’ was just that type of exercise, to expand my mind and to open myself up more and learn more,” Marley said.
This new album was created with expansion and experimentation in mind — one of the same driving forces behind the “Fly Rasta” album. That project won the 2015 Grammy for Best Reggae Album.
“Musically, there’s a lot of things that are different, but a lot of it is unscripted,” Marley said. “A lot of it is natural evolution based upon a general idea of where I want to go with the music.”
Marley says the themes of this project are different from the last album.
“Lyrically speaking, there [was] a time when I decided not to sing about social [things] happening in the world. In general, I had the idea that I wanted to sing about more personal things,” Marley said. “But this record, I choose to sing about things that I see happening in the world, so that is a big difference, because I think it was just a time for my voice to be active in that space, you know.”
Even with regular reports of wars and violence around the world, Marley says he’s steadfast in believing peace is possible.
“We must not get dissuaded or less encouraged because our dream is such a nice one,” Marley said. “Because the wicked mon [sic], he’s making his dreams come true. You see how much war, how much division. They’re doing it. So my inspiration [is to] tell the people … don’t lose hope, don’t lose faith.”
Marley thinks this hope can shine through the complexities of global conflicts.
“You know, there is so much intricacies to what’s happening in the world with all these wars and violence, and some people think it’s impossible for stop,” Marley said. “I know it is not impossible to stop. I know it is totally possible that we can live in peace and love. We just have to wake up the people to that, you know. So, a lot of the songs kind of address the realities of that.”
Love is another main force behind this latest album.
“We do everything with love,” Marley said. “Really, love is my religion. The foundation [is] made with care. We have compassion. That’s why we sing what we sing. That’s why we say what we say, because we actually care about each other. … I have no doubt that our dreams of more peace and love in this world will happen.”
Ziggy Marley is on tour to promote his self-titled album, including an upcoming concert at The Fillmore in Silver Spring on Tuesday, June 21.
