Andre Jebbinson, Staff Reporter

Omar Reid performs his winning entry, 'Remember The Days', at the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission Popular Song Contest finals, held at Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre, Hope Road, on Saturday, July 15. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Months after walking away with the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) Popular Song Contest's $1 million top prize, Omar Reid is literally seeing other rewards.

"Now when I go on the street, people recognise me and they know me by name, especially the children," Reid said. "I am surprised by it, because it was just a little competition."

Not only is he getting more recognition, but he is also experiencing financial gains. Reid told The Gleaner that he his now making three times the amount he would doing a regular job. This, of course, is proving the detractors, who said many of the talents from competitions of that sort have had few benefits, wrong.

Reid says the JCDC is responsible for his current visibility and the number of shows he has been on. He has already recorded his first single, Dance With You, which has been played on Fame FM, Irie FM and Roots FM.

Hopes for more airplay

He hopes, though, that they will start playing his song a lot more.

His winning entry in the Popular Song Competition, Remember The Days, had the festival feel, but that is not the style Reid wants to stick to. Instead, he wants to bring back the lover's rock music he grew up on. "I don't want to talk about the real-life experiences because everybody is doing that nowadays. I want to bring back intimacy, to when people knew how to rub-a-dub," Reid said.

He plans to launch an album by April next year, while continuing to make appearances on shows. His uncle has helped him with the art of negotiating, at the same time giving him sound advice.

For now, Omar Reid continues to work with producer Mario Lawrence to complete his debut album.