AceGawd Says Dancehall Saved Him From Depression

Upcoming Dancehall artiste, AceGawd has revealed that Dancehall helped him to overcome childhood depression to become the self-proclaimed ‘hypest kid in Dancehall’.

AceGawd, whose real name is Sadeki ‘AceGawd’ McLarthy, hails from Porus, Manchester, Jamaica.  He spoke about his struggle with depression as a child during an OnStage interview on Saturday.

He told OnStage host Winford Williams that it was the Guidance Counsellor at his primary school who encouraged him to express his emotions through poetry and music, which subsequently breathed life into his love of Dancehall and his aspiring career in the genre.

The 22-year-old artiste also explained that he was often withdrawn from his friends and family and only wanted to listen to music that prolonged his state of depression. Since his newfound fame, the artiste said he still finds relief in counseling and through music.

Given his experience with depression, AceGawd encouraged others suffering from depression to find a friend or family member in whom they can confide and to whom they can vent. He also urged parents with children suffering from depression or exhibiting symptoms of depression to listen to their children rather than dismiss their emotions.

AceGawd burst onto the Dancehall scene in December 2018 with the hit song, Mark X & Axio. The track quickly took over the Jamaican airwaves, becoming one of the most popular Dancehall songs in 2019 and garnering 2.3 million views on YouTube.

Although AceGawd has gained fame and popularity in Dancehall, he has had to confront many issues, including accusations of him copying the sound and style of controversial Dancehall entertainer, Tommy Lee.

Regardless of the accusations, AceGawd has remained unphased and went on to release ten new tracks in 2019 including Knocka and Di Grinch which have over 800,000 and 200,000 views respectively since their releases a few weeks ago.