Jermaine Edwards’ uplifting track, “Thank You for Sunshine,” has grown into one of the Caribbean’s most exported inspirational songs of the past decade. The song has inspired numerous samples, flips, remixes, and reposts, reaching audiences far beyond its original release.
However, the track’s ownership has recently come under scrutiny following claims by multi-platinum singer Akon, who stated that he paid one million dollars for a demo version of the song.
“In early 2012, I had an internet leak – and 10 years later,” Akon said in an interview last year. “I was scrolling through my feed and I saw this little kid, and he sounded like an angel singing a song.
I said, ‘Wait – that is one of my demos.’ So we had to reach out to the kid who made it what it was, and we realized he was going to a school in Jamaica. Come to find out, he’s not a kid anymore – he’s in his early 20s now.”
Akon added, “I was like, ‘Listen, we’re going to go back to the school where he recorded it. We’re going to refurbish the school, the first million from the song will go to him, and on top of that, he’s going to get writer’s credit through that whole process!’”
Despite the narrative presented by Akon, the claims are false. The song, which has surpassed 15 million streams on Spotify since its 2024 release under the title “Beautiful Day”,” was never a demo, and no payment of one million dollars was made to any party.
The controversy has sparked debate online, with fans questioning the validity of Akon’s claims and highlighting the need to clarify ownership and proper credit for the track.