When Reggae North<\/em><\/strong> recently caught up with the duo, the conversation naturally turned to their journey together\u2014one that blends music, love and family.<\/p>\n Although they had seen each other at several events before, Tonya P and Mally Bless officially met in 2013 in an unexpected place\u2014Treasure Isle record store<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a studio session that day,\u201d Tonya P recalls. \u201cMally had just finished his session, but somehow he found his way back downstairs during my session.\u201d<\/p>\n That moment sparked a conversation that led to an exchange of contacts and eventually the beginning of a friendship. Over time, that friendship blossomed into something deeper.<\/p>\n \u201cWe quickly became each other\u2019s biggest fans when it came to the music,\u201d they explain. \u201cWe were able to work together to build each other up.\u201d<\/p>\n For the Lovemores, balancing music careers with family life has not always been easy.<\/p>\n \u201cMusic is our passion, but family always comes first,\u201d they say. That sometimes means turning down performances or carefully planning travel around family responsibilities. However, as their children have grown older and more independent, the couple now finds themselves with more time to dedicate to their craft.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re at a place now where we\u2019re excited about music and ready to take things to another level.\u201d<\/p>\n Their entrepreneurial spirit led them to launch Starliners Entertainment, a production company and label inspired by the teachings of Marcus Garvey and the principle of self-reliance.<\/p>\n Before Tonya P joined the picture, Mally Bless had been part of the group Sonz Of Da Most High<\/strong>. The label became a way to bring everyone together under one umbrella while creating opportunities for others.<\/p>\n \u201cThe goal has always been to provide an avenue where Canadian artists can create and release quality music and bring our musical community together,\u201d they explain.<\/p>\n Though based in Canada, their sound remains deeply tied to their Jamaican roots.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are Jamaican born and Jamaican rooted, inspired by the greats from Jamaica\u2014the mecca of reggae music. It\u2019s our duty to continue the works of our teachers, the legends who paved the way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Interestingly, their creative process is often separate before it becomes collaborative.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are times when Mally might be writing every day while I\u2019m not feeling creative,\u201d Tonya P says. \u201cBut seeing him so focused can get me back in music mode.\u201d<\/p>\n Eventually they sit down and share what they\u2019ve been working on. Their music often reflects similar life experiences but expressed in different ways.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Like many creative ventures during the pandemic, their Starliners Live online radio show was born out of necessity.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were home all day during COVID like everyone else,\u201d they explain. \u201cWe decided to entertain ourselves and our community with Canadian reggae music.\u201d<\/p>\n What started as a simple idea quickly evolved into a platform highlighting the depth of talent across Canada.<\/p>\n \u201cWe learned so much about our fellow artists and about Canadian reggae history. There\u2019s way more talent here than we realized.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Among their proudest achievements are the releases of Mally Bless\u2019s album \u201cIn Love with Livin\u201d<\/em><\/strong> and Tonya P\u2019s album \u201cConcrete Rose\u201d<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n Both projects took years to complete\u2014from songwriting and production to mixing, mastering and even producing thousands of physical copies for distribution.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re extremely proud of those accomplishments,\u201d they say.<\/p>\n Yet beyond music, their most meaningful milestone remains personal.<\/p>\n \u201cChoosing each other, getting married and raising our family together\u2014that\u2019s definitely our most rewarding moment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Having watched the scene evolve over the years, the couple is optimistic about the future of reggae in Canada.<\/p>\n \u201cThe quality of music has improved a lot,\u201d they say. \u201cThere are so many talented artists emerging from all over Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n Platforms like Reggae North<\/em><\/strong> have helped shine a spotlight on that talent, but they believe more unity within the community is still needed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to support each other. If artists don\u2019t respect and uplift one another, how can we expect others to?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>As parents, Tonya P and Mally Bless are mindful of the influence music can have on young listeners.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of music out there that can influence young minds negatively,\u201d they say. \u201cWe try to counteract that by putting positive, uplifting messages in our music.\u201d For them, reggae has always carried a responsibility\u2014to educate, uplift and reflect reality.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>Sharing the same passion has only deepened their relationship.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s nothing like being in a relationship where you share the same passion,\u201d they say. \u201cWe move as a unit. No competition, no ego.\u201d<\/p>\n They support each other not only as artists but also as managers, advisors and honest critics when needed.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes you hear things you might not want to hear,\u201d they laugh. \u201cBut it always comes from a place of love.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>The future looks busy for the Starliners duo. More music is on the way, along with collaborations with other artists and producers. They also plan to produce live events, and artist showcases to further highlight Canadian reggae talent.<\/p>\n With their shared vision, deep roots and unwavering support for one another, Tonya P and Mally Bless continue to prove that love, family and music can thrive together.<\/p>\n And if their journey so far is any indication, Canada\u2019s reggae power couple is only getting started.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tonya Lovemore, popularly known as Tonya P, and Marlon Lovemore, known in reggae circles as Mally Bless, are more than just partners in music. The married couple, proud parents, reggae artists, producers and founders of Starliners Entertainment, have steadily carved out a space for themselves in Canada\u2019s reggae landscape. Many fans and industry insiders now […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12280,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[240,239],"tags":[82],"class_list":["post-12284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-canadian-news","category-international-news","tag-featured"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12284"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12284\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12289,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12284\/revisions\/12289"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Tonya-P-Mally-Pic-2-300x260.jpg\")
\u201cTwo artists going through the same situations but finding completely different ways of expressing those emotions through music.\u201d<\/p>\n