“Personable, charming”, words shared by a Gen Z to describe Omari Banks, are a reflection of how his personality resonates across generations. Personable, check. Charming, check — but as The Anguillian discovered, there’s so much more to the man than charisma and charm. What began as a simple “where-are-they-now” update turned into a revelation of character, purpose, and enduring legacy.
Music and cricket — two seemingly different worlds that, for Omari Banks, have always been closely connected. Growing up in a musical household, performance came naturally. By age seven, he was already performing publicly, earning awards like Best Male Performer and winning local singing competitions.
His first job? Singing and playing the guitar. These gigs helped fund his early cricketing pursuits. Encouraged by his mother—Donna Banks and inspired by his father—Bankie Banx, Omari pursued cricket seriously; he developed a deep love and respect for the sport and was influenced by West Indies legends like Viv Richards and Brian Lara. What began as an extracurricular activity evolved into a professional career spanning over a decade. Omari represented the West Indies Under 19 Cricket Team for three years from 17 years of age. He then moved on to become a team player in the senior West Indies Team at 20 years of age. The music and cricket connection continued: “I always traveled with my guitar,” he shared. Even while representing the West Indies cricket team from the age of 17 into his late twenties, music was never far behind. “There was a time when one of the games got rained out, and I played my guitar for about 12 hours.”
Reflecting on his transition from cricket to music, Omari points to the transferable skills that aided the transition: discipline, focus, rhythm, patience, storytelling — all honed through sport. “My time in sports taught me a lot. I grew up as a human being. I was always self-confident, but I grew up,” he said. “I gained more discipline in how I approached my goals. I’ve always been driven, but success came with sacrifices — including my formal education, where I decided to pursue my dream of being an international cricketer instead of going to college.”
During the quieter moments between tours and tournaments, Omari feeds his mind and spirit through reading. He devours books on self-awareness, mindset, philosophy, and history — works by Tony Robbins, John C. Maxwell, Deepak Chopra, Les Brown, and Malcolm Gladwell to name a few. “Books like Failing Forward and Outliers form part of my reading and in turn improvement journey. They awakened something in me and helped me broaden my song writing skills.”
His 2013 debut single “Unafraid” became Tempo’s #1 hit song that year. When asked about the inspiration behind “Unafraid”, he said: “There’s always inspiration for songs — the human experience, put into words, can inspire people where they are and guide them to where they want to be. The beauty of music is in its self-reflection and its ability to let others see themselves in your story.”
On his social media, Omari often shares heartwarming moments with his daughters — 14 year old Somaiya and 11 year old Ash? — videos of jam sessions, musical collaborations, and simply proud father-daughter moments.
When asked about this part of his life, he lit up with pride. “They were handling guitars at three and four years old. I realized from reading and observing that when it comes to children, a hands-on approach is best. I spend time teaching my girls not just how to play, but why music matters, of the legacy of their granddad, Bankie Banx, and why the skills applied to music will guide them through the ups and downs of life—spiritually, financially and experientially.”
Somaiya and Ash? have also received classical training in piano and have grown into skilled musicians in their own right. “One of my proudest achievements is giving my daughters the confidence to play guitar at a professional level. They can handle any piece, any genre that I send them — and play it verbatim.”
Beyond the music, it’s the bonding that matters most. “Even while traveling, I make sure to check in every day. The time I’ve invested in working and growing with them is one of my greatest sources of pride.” He is aware that this investment in his children will live with them into the future–not just in terms of their musical development, but in the bond that is growing between them and the memories they are creating.
So, what keeps Omari grounded? One might expect the answer to be “family or music” — but his response was more layered. “Life keeps me grounded. I wouldn’t say I’m religious, but I’m spiritual. I understand that something bigger than me exists. There’s a reason why I do what I do. I have the opportunity to pass on a legacy whether to my kids, my family, my community, my country, us as a race of people, and ultimately the world.”
He continued: “I understand that my life is not just for myself, I believe that what I do is not only very important to me, but the effect it has on people—even if people are doing something differently. I have grown to realise that things are rarely respected in real time, but I’ve also come to realise that true maturity comes when you understand that you must do the right thing.”
“Realising that there is a purpose behind what I am doing and the belief that there is a God out there that speaks to us not in a religious sense, but in a spiritual sense, that in each of us there is a need to do good, and understand whatever we put out into the universe we get that Karma in return. I believe that we should treat people how we want to be treated. I believe that when you inspire people and you lead by example, people get more that way than just by us telling them.”
Omari Banks continues to evolve — not just as a musician or former athlete, but as a thinker, father, and cultural storyteller. His story is one of balance: between passion and responsibility, talent and humility, ambition and reflection. When asked what’s next for him—he cheekily replied—”We’ll see!”
We ended the interview with the following question: If you could spend an hour with any person throughout history, who would that person be? Having to choose one person gave Omari pause—instead of one person he asked if he could give at least three. Omari’s choices speak to his awareness: music, performance, human rights and social advocacy. His choices: Stevie Wonder (musician, singer), George Benson (greatest guitarist/performer of all time) and Malcolm X (human rights activist).
If you ever happen to see Omari — guitar in hand, daughters by his side — you’ll understand that he is ever growing and evolving, but his legacy is already well underway.
