At 20 years old, Tobago-born Kajali ‘Jalii’ Mills has achieved a historic milestone: he is the youngest artist from Trinidad and Tobago to earn Grammy consideration for his single “Unlock.”
Mills, a Division 1 track and field athlete and student at the University of New Haven pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Music & Sound Recording, earned the Grammy consideration in the Melodic Rap category.
The proud Black Rock native said his parents greatly influenced his love for music.
“I remember like when I got my first headset, that’s when I really started to like tap into music, you know, tap into like different art forms and music as well. I was listening to Alternative, Alternative Rap, I would listen to R&B. I was listening to all sorts of Rock music. I was listening to everything. Also being from Tobago, it has shifted my sense of culture, community and given me an opportunity to be different. I feel that’s something that people don’t talk about enough, the diversity of Tobago.”
He told TTT News his journey continued well into his teenage years. A graduate of Scarborough Secondary School in 2022, he wrote and performed the graduation song for that year.
His talent caught the ear of fellow Tobagonian and Grammy Award-winning producer Delroy ‘D-Roy’ Andrews, who took the talented 18-year-old under his wing. It was during the course of two years that Jalii earned membership in Grammy U, a programme by The Recording Academy for aspiring music professionals and creatives aged 18–29, open only by recommendation from voting members. Jalii is the only Tobagonian to gain membership.
“Delroy is one of the people who inspired me to go even more because he is one of the first people to really see something in me in the music aspect that no one else saw and when I was doubting myself he really picked my head up and show me that everything is good.”
Jalii revealed that he had to be creative when it came to recording “Unlock.”
“So I had to go to the school studio, but the sad part is they would not let me as a freshman go into the school studio, so I had to use my phone, and a lot of people don’t know that I used my phone to record this song here, so I snuck into one of the music rooms, and I was just recording the song, and the song basically talks about unlocking the door to success and having scars and to continue, and don’t let the scars prevent you from going at that goal, so I really hope it inspires people to do just that.”
Described as a bold fusion of lyrical honesty and melodic innovation, Jalii shared his reaction when he found out about his Grammy consideration.
“I couldn’t believe it at first and I felt like it take a little moment for it to hit but when it finally hit I was jumping for joy because this is like a great achievement for me, that all the work that I put in for five years finally paying off.”
Jalii said he is proud to represent Trinidad and Tobago internationally through both his artistry and discipline. He is urging both the corporate sector and Government to support not just his dreams but the entire creative sector, as this is one avenue for economic diversification and encourages the youth to stay away from crime.