Simba Amani (real name Kurtly Ravello) and The Live Experience aroused curiosity among fans in August when they released Maria, a distinctively original track with a captivating hook, complete with somewhat ambiguous lyrics and music video.

Few have expected an upbeat song about a "horner woman" from the humble, multi-talented musician/teacher from Cushe Village, Rio Claro.

That's because it's really not, said Amani, who wrote the song.

The incredibly catchy melody embeds itself into the memory and is supported by lyrics with a far deeper and less run-of-the-mill theme than just infidelity.

Amani encourages listeners to dig a bit beneath the surface to discover the substance of often misinterpreted analogy.

"(Lyrics aside) the video was slightly misunderstood in that the director tried to piggyback on one of the lines and make it the essence of the video," Amani explained to Newsday.

"So the part when I said, 'Wifey stress me out, and you are holding me up,' it looked as though the woman in the video was a horner woman."

The track is primarily about a substance with healing and pacifying properties, providing support to the right user or one that is undoubtedly harmful when abused, depending what one interprets from the science.

For Amani, it's partly about a love bordering on obsession, and its negative repercussions – something he knows all too well about.

The one holding him up was, in fact, cannabis; a long-time clutch the performer has mostly distanced himself from in recent times because it held him up until it couldn't any more.

"I never came out and admit it on radio but I does take my little pull ever so often," he said. "I was going through a depressed mode which was pronounced to the point where the substance itself was making it worse. I've eased up a lot.

"It was a means of escape but in the long run it turned out a bit toxic."

[caption id="attachment_975293" align="alignnone" width="683"] Multi-talented artiste Simba Amani from Cushe Village, Rio Claro, seated in his element - the bush.All photographs courtest Jason Verriuel - Photos courtesy Jason Verriuel[/caption]

"The story is about 'Maria-juana'," he spelled out, "but it can also be about alcohol, it could be about anything that has the potential for abuse."

Additionally, the song also represents a break-away from the restrictions that limited Amani's expression for years as an artiste.

"Being a teacher and being able to write about some subjects publicly always felt like taboo," Amani said, be they themes of sexuality or cannabis use, for example.

"Apart from all that, I've been going through things that made me realise I don't want to be a people-pleaser. That's not to say you need to be irresponsible or reckless with your lyrics but at the same time, when it comes to my freedom of expression, I don't want to put myself in a box; I want to be able to talk about anything."

Maria's melody blends Afrobeat, Latin and reggae, with a few other sub-genres under world music, and their typical instruments. Those, comb