When Logan Gayle arrived in Kelowna from his native Kingston, Jamaica, for a visit in 2016, he fell in love. 

Not with a person, but with the city, so much so that he and his wife immigrated to Canada and settled in Kelowna a year later. 

Now Gayle, 39, has written a song he says celebrates the heart and soul of Kelowna, called Smile Kelowna, under his stage performing name of Gold Mynd. 

The song was a local production, written by Gayle and recorded in an East Kelowna studio with local musicians, before being sent to his album producer in Jamaica to complete the final mixing and mastering production work. 

The song was sponsored by Creative BC and a video is in the works sponsored by the same initiative, a creative industry catalyst supporting the province's creative sector to reach its collective potential.  

Gayle says he penned the lyrics as his personal love letter to the city with an idea to it becoming an anthem that celebrates Kelowna's beauty, community and positive spirit. 

"The appeal of the song itself is intended to make people happy," he said. 

"The lyrics for it came to me pretty quickly. I started out writing down what things to me are unique about Kelowna. I realized there is the lake, the sun, the beaches, the sweet fruit...once I did that it all kind of flowed naturally for me to talk about Kelowna like a special woman I first met in 2016."

The message has caught the attention of Kelowna Tourism, who have been in talks with Gayle to adopt his tune as the news theme song for promoting the City of Kelowna.

"It was written as a potential anthem for the city so to possibly see that happen is very rewarding to see," he said. 

Gayle was born and raised in Jamaica, but was looking to take his life in a new direction and began thinking about moving to Canada. 

"I heard nice things about the place, however, for us in Jamaica we always hear the horror stories related to the weather," he recalled. "Videos of cars sliding around in the snow...so because of my fear of that, I went on a Google search to see where the warmest place in Canada was and that search led me to Kelowna."

Gayle visited in August 2016, landing into the midst of an Okanagan summer, impressed by the sunshine and mountain scenery.

He moved here a year later and enrolled in the telecom diploma program at Okanagan College, which led him into finding work as an IT specialist. 

But working with technology always came second to his love for music, and after moving to the Okanagan he began to revisit his reggae musical roots. 

Last year Gold Mynd booked 50 shows, and recorded his debut album, Love and Life. 

He was nominated last year for best reggae/hip hop artist at the Gonzo Awards (Okanagan's People's Choice Awards) and his music videos for his songs Glow and Hustle & Grind both received award nominations for an Okanagan Society of Independent Filmmaking Award. 

Smile Kelowna has been released as a followup single but he hopes to see the song become part of his second album. 

While he traces his musical roots back to Jamaica and the influence of Bob Marley, Gayle says his father made the greatest impression on his musical influences. 

"My dad always said our most precious asset is our mindset, so that is where Gold Mynd is derived from, positive words and the precious gold of our minds," he said. 

As Gayle seeks to establish himself as the "reggae ambassador" for the region, he says the music style fits with his own desire to promote positivity and connection, and foster inclusivity and cultural appreciation. 

"I chose to follow the path of reggae because it stands for being a device of the people, spreading unity, and being free and being healthy. I feel Bob Marley was the biggest pioneer of that message with his music and my hope is to add to his legacy."

To listen to Smile Kelowna online, go to and follow the links.