Exclusive! Chris Gayle: India is always like home to me and I keep it close to my heart

Batting maestro Chris Gayle aka 'The Universe Boss' is exploring a new territory. His album 'Tropical.House Cruises to Jamaica The Asian Edition' has entered the 2024 Grammy's in the Reggae Album of the Year category. Gayle got into an exclusive conversation about his interest in music and his massive records in cricket. How did your interest in music develop and what were your early influences?I grew up in Kingston Jamaica and music was always a part.of my life as I used to sneak out as a teenager and go to dance. Even at my first cricket club, the Lucas Cricket Club, we always listened to reggae and dancehall music to energise us. Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, Capleton and Sizzla, all Jamaican dancehall artists, were my early influences.Why did you choose cricket as a career over music?I grew up near the Lucas Cricket Club and fell in love with the game. My family encouraged me to take the sport seriously. My mother was a decent lady and definitely would not want me to pursue a.music career because back in the days reggae and dancehall artists were seen as outcasts of society.How did the idea of sending your album to the Grammy's come about and what are your future plans for music?During the pandemic, a UK based artist named Stylo G put my name.in a song and I jokingly told him.he needs me on the remix. Then he showed up at my house and taught me how to record his song and when he played it back I really liked the sound and then I was hooked .After that experience, I built a studio in my house and hired a professional engineer and producer named Camar Flava to make beats and guide me to create my own songs.The executive producer of the album Tropical.House Cruises to Jamaica The Asian Edition whose name is Sean Contractor Edwards reached out to my team with the concept of his album. He said he wanted to.tap into the Asian market with a reggae music compilation album. He said he had songs from.some mainstream reggae artists as well as Ms Lauryn Hill. He asked for my presence on the album because of my popularity in Asia and he decided to make me the headliner and face of the album. It debuted at number 1 on the USA Reggae Itunes Album Charts and with that exposure entered in the 2024 Grammy Reggae Album of the Year category. I plan to sign artists to my label and distribute songs I recorded from.other artists as well as collaborate with Shaggy and Sean Paul.on future projects.With all your achievements in cricket please share some that are closest to your heart.Winning two T20 World cup titles is something to hold on to when you walk away from the game. Winning the ICC champion trophy for West Indies is a memory that stands out too. From an individual point of view, to be able to score two triple centuries in test cricket is unique and only four people have done it within the cricket arena, and I'm one of them which I'm grateful and thankful for. Also, to score 215 runs in the World cup is fantastic and I will always cherish that moment. There are so many more but I will stick to these for now. From a franchise point of view, to be able to hold the record for the highest T20 score-175, is fantastic. Your favourite memories in Mumbai and India?Scoring a hundred runs against England, in Mumbai at the World cup was fantastic and we went on to win the tournament in 2016. Playing in the IPL is always special. India is always like home to me and I keep it close to my heart.