For decades, Sharon Marley has been woven into reggae’s living lineage, harmonizing on global stages, stacking Grammy wins, and carrying forward one of music’s most recognizable surnames. Now she is stepping into a new chapter entirely her own.
Marley has announced her debut solo album, Firebird, set for release March 20, 2026, via her Gong Gyal Entertainment imprint with distribution through Tuff Gong International. Though she has long been a cornerstone of Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, this marks her first full-length solo project, a milestone more than three decades in the making.
The 11-track album follows her 2021 single “Just One More Morning” and her roots-driven collaboration “Steppah” alongside Big Youth. A new single, “Island,” arrives March 6 and features Rica Newell and Cedella Marley, reuniting the trio who previously toured and recorded together under the Melody Makers banner. Proceeds from “Island” will benefit Humanity Ova Vanity (HOV), a Canadian organization focused on disaster response and housing stabilization.
One of the album’s most anticipated moments is a reinterpretation of Bob Marley’s classic “Exodus,” a song that has become both scripture and soundtrack in reggae culture.
The title track “Firebird,” co-produced by Ingemar Prendergast, positions the project as a rebirth narrative. The visuals, including the “Steppah” music video directed by Marley’s daughter Donisha Prendergast, underline the album’s multigenerational through-line.
Marley’s résumé already includes eight Grammy nominations and three wins for Best Reggae Album with the Melody Makers (Conscious Party, One Bright Day, and Fallen Is Babylon). But Firebird reads less like a career pivot and more like a long-delayed exhale, a project that allows her to step out of the collective and into her own tonal center.
