This is a feature about Upstormed Inc’s founder, Jonathan Anthony Burkett. Before he built a company that today includes a record label, a publishing arm and Upstormed News, Burkett was a songwriter and storyteller, and that is where this look at his work begins: with his music and his books.
Music came first
On his own website, Burkett puts it simply: music came first. Born in Miami and raised in Jamaica by his grandparents, he founded Upstormed Records to release his own songs. The label describes its sound as hip hop, soul and reggae, under the tagline “Music with a message.”
That message runs through nearly everything he has recorded. His songs return again and again to the same ideas: change is hard but necessary, setbacks are not the end of the story, and people should keep going and not give up on their dreams.
The releases
According to Upstormed Records, the label has been putting out music since 2014. Its catalog, as listed on the label’s site, includes:
- One Life (2014): the album that launched Upstormed Records, featuring reggae singer Ambelique. Its title track became the label’s anthem, and it later grew a family of remixes, including club, festival, dub and Babylon versions.
- Born To Make It (2024): an album featuring My-Kul Leeric, Troyton and Jae Mazor.
- Life As I Know It (2024): an EP featuring Elisa Polanco, Kiarrah Guerra and Kristin Nicole.
- Upstormed Records (2024): a collection gathering the label’s releases, including the “One Life” mixes.
Along the way came singles such as “Changes,” featuring Polancapop, released in 2018 and covered by independent music press, which described it as classic hip hop with conscious rap and R&B hooks. Other titles on the label’s list include “Don’t Give Up,” “Taking Numbers,” “Crush On You,” “Pour It,” “Two Steps” and “I Can Only Be Me.” His official music videos are published on the JonathanBurkettVEVO YouTube channel, and his songs are on Spotify.
Taken together, the songs carry the uplifting message his label describes: that change is difficult but necessary, and that it is worth pushing through. The titles alone, from “Don’t Give Up” to “Born To Make It,” read like chapter headings for the outlook he talks about in his writing.
From songs to books
Burkett’s writing grew out of the same place as his music. His memoir, Neglected But Undefeated, tells the story of a boy growing up unwanted by his mother and raised in Jamaica by his grandparents. It covers his battle with seizures, brain surgery on January 30, 2006, and the faith he credits with carrying him through. A free introduction is available on his site.
He also writes fiction. His Friends 2 Lovers series follows best friends Claude and Kelly from friendship to love to family. Three books are available now, The Unthinkable, Closed Doors Open and Unexpected Consequences, with seven more listed as coming soon. His stand-alone novel, Fighting To Become Champions, follows two former boxing friends who become bitter rivals and settle their feud in the ring.
The two sides of his work meet in a planned series of life-lesson books, listed as coming soon, that share names with his songs, among them One Life, Don’t Give Up, Born To Make It and Everything Changes.
“The rougher the road, the better the opportunities waiting at the other end.” — Jonathan Anthony Burkett
That line, from Friends 2 Lovers: The Unthinkable, could just as easily sit on one of his album covers. Whether he is writing a hook or a chapter, the theme is the same: hard roads can still lead somewhere good.
Where to find his work
His music is available through Upstormed Records and on streaming platforms including Spotify, and his books are sold through the Upstormed shop. Upstormed Inc handles both the label and the publishing.
Learn more at jonathanburkett.com
Related coverage on Upstormed News: World Energy Outlook 2026: Reading the Conditions Behind the Curves and Condo Sellers Now Outnumber Buyers More Than 2 to 1, the Widest Gap Since 2013.
Read more: Through the Operating Room Doors: Faith and Healing in Jonathan Anthony Burkett’s Story
Which do you connect with more, a song with a message or a book that tells a true story?
Sources: Jonathan Anthony Burkett, “Music” (accessed November 10, 2026); Jonathan Anthony Burkett, “Books” (accessed November 10, 2026); Jonathan Anthony Burkett, “His Story” (accessed November 10, 2026); Jonathan Anthony Burkett, “Quotes” (accessed November 10, 2026); Upstormed Records, “Music with a message” (accessed November 10, 2026); Spotify, “Jonathan Anthony Burkett” (accessed November 10, 2026)
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