Martin's European tour begins

Leighton Levy, Gleaner Writer

Chris Martin left Jamaica last Thursday for Germany, as he embarks on the largest tour of his career. Martin is set to perform in Norway, Finland and Germany, before taking a major tour with German reggae star Gentleman.

While on his way to the airport, Martin revealed that the tour with Gentleman with whom he recorded To The Top, a monster hit in Europe, will encompass stops in Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Poland, Finland, Macedonia, Luxemburg, Portugal, Spain and the Czech Republic.

Martin performed in Manheim, Germany, last Saturday and in Cologne yesterday.

The artiste is now on his way to Oslo in Norway for a show on Friday before heading back to Cologne for another performance on Saturday. The final show on his individual calendar happens in Finland on Sunday.

Martin then joins Gentleman in the Diversity tour, during which they will perform together on 22 shows between November 18 and December 22.

According to the young singer, this is a major milestone in his career.

"It's very important. This is an opportunity to show Europe what Christopher Martin has to offer. I hope to deliver performances that will generate rave reviews and people will look forward to seeing me again," he said. "This will also open up many doors in many cities."

He said the tour represented the fact that all his hard work has not been falling on deaf ears and it gives him a chance to put his best foot forward.

"I am proud and I am happy," he said.

He says he is mentally prepared to take on this long tour that sees him returning to Jamaica on December 24. He suspects, however, that there will be challenges as he ventures to where he has never gone before. "I will be missing my friends and my family, the people closest to me," he said. "You are going to miss the jokes and the laughter."

Despite the challenges, he said he plans to make Jamaica proud.