Jamaican athletes excelled at the 2021 staging of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020. Although the Games went on without fans present at the venues, Jamaican runners came through and set new world records, and now Jamaica can also take pride in the fact that British Jamaican songwriter Carla Marie Williams has had her single, “Hope,” chosen by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to be included on the organization’s official highlight reel of the Tokyo Games. The highlight reel was broadcast during the closing ceremony in Tokyo on August 8, 2021, and is also available on the official IOC website. In addition, it will be used to commemorate the Paralympic Games of 2021.

Carla Marie Williams is a Grammy-award-winning songwriter who was raised in Harleston in London by Jamaican parents. At age 10, she started a singing group called “Likkle Mentions,” indicating strongly to those who knew her that she was on her way to becoming a star in the music industry. In 2006, however, she lost her voice due to complications with her larynx and decided to shift to songwriting instead of singing.

While she may be relatively unknown, she is accustomed to fame as a songwriter and has written popular songs for performing superstars like Beyoncé, including “Running” and “Lemonade,” and she also wrote the song “Freedom” for Britney Spears.

Currently residing in Kingston, Jamaica, Williams has collected numerous accolades. She created the “Girls I Rate (GIR)” initiative, which is designed to promote unification, diversity, and equal opportunities for women making a career in music. She has now expanded this initiative to include GIR Caribbean based in Jamaica, which has the support of superstars like Beenie Man, Ce’Cile, and ZJ Sparks.

Williams said that her song “Hope,” which has been described as “a gospel anthem,” is “a cry of hope and a cry for change.” A video for the song was shot in Jamaica with Lindsay Lodenquai as the creative director. “For me, hope should have no color, no gender, no limits. All you need is a little bit of hope,” she added.

Photo Source – Carla Marie Williams Facebook