From Jamaica to Cape Town: Fashion, Reggae & Finding Home in South Africa's Contradictions

Babes, How Did You Get Here? | Marlon Cotterell: From Jamaican Model to South African Reggae Frontman – Fashion Week, Prison, and Finding Home in Cape Town What happens when a Jamaican model flies to South Africa for a week-long fashion show, decides to stay three months, and ends up living there for 15 years—building a career as the frontman of South Africa's biggest reggae band, spending a week in maximum security prison over a fake work permit, raising a multicultural daughter, and never once looking back? In this raw, hilarious, and deeply honest episode, host April Jackson sits down with Marlon Cotterell—a Jamaican-born model, musician, and father whose life took an unexpected turn after walking in Africa Fashion Week in Johannesburg in 2011. From working as a travel agent in Jamaica and running a music studio with Jimmy Cliff's engineer, to accidentally falling into modeling, to choosing Cape Town over Johannesburg because of the ocean, to joining South Africa's biggest reggae band (The Rudimentals) by pure coincidence, to spending a week in jail over immigration fraud he didn't commit, to navigating race, class, and identity in post-apartheid South Africa, to raising a half-German daughter who sings the Jamaican national anthem every morning—Marlon's story is one of serendipity, resilience, and choosing peace over comfort every single time. In this episode, we discuss: Introduction: A Jamaican Model's Journey to Cape Town – How a trip to Africa Fashion Week in 2011 turned into 15 years in South Africa. The Move to South Africa: From Fashion Week to Forever – Spending three months in Johannesburg, moving to Cape Town for the ocean, and calling his mom to say he's not coming back. Becoming a Model: The Accidental Career – Working as a travel agent, being scouted repeatedly, finally saying yes just to shut his girlfriend up, and why he does modeling—he's not a model. Life as a Male Model: Behind the Scenes – Seeing his face on billboards he's never visited, sending photos to his agent to make sure he gets paid, and why he's never done cartwheels over a booking. Finding Music in Cape Town: The Rudimentals – Meeting the band by coincidence, performing without knowing the songs, and becoming the frontman of South Africa's biggest reggae band. Culture Shock: Jamaica vs South Africa – Missing Christmas decorations, realizing Cape Town is "very European," and why people think Jamaica is in Africa. The Arrest: A Week in South African Prison – Getting arrested at the airport for a fake work permit he didn't know was fake, spending a week in maximum security, refusing to eat, sleeping on the floor with 17 strangers, and why his mom's calmness saved him. Race and Identity in South Africa – Being called "different" because he's a black foreigner, navigating the colored vs black divide, and why South Africa only unites during rugby season. Fatherhood: Raising a Multicultural Child – His daughter is half-German, half-Jamaican, born in South Africa, sings the national anthem, and told her German mom she's not allowed to sing it because "you're not Jamaican." Jamaica's Global Influence: Food, Music, and Culture – Why Zimbabweans speak Patois, why reggae was banned during apartheid, and why Jamaica has the second biggest black culture in the world after America. Why This Story Matters This isn't just a story about moving to South Africa or becoming a musician. It's about: Following serendipity—even when it leads you somewhere you never planned to go. Surviving injustice and choosing to stay anyway. Raising a child across cultures and teaching her to be proud of all of them. Being Jamaican anywhere in the world—and why that confidence is unmatched. Choosing peace, ocean, and music over safety and familiarity. Whether you're considering a big move, navigating identity in a foreign country, or just need permission to follow the path that doesn't make sense to anyone but you—this episode will move you, inspire you, and remind you that home is wherever you choose to build it. About the Show – "Babes, How Did You Get Here?" Hosted by entrepreneur and former Miss Jamaica April Jackson, this podcast dives into the real, unfiltered stories of people who left the script—swapping comfort for courage and choosing a life "elsewhere." 00:00 Introduction: A Jamaican Model's Journey to Cape Town 02:37 — Fatherhood and Identity: Raising a Mixed-Race Child 07:54 — Black Identity Pain Point 22:26 — I Felt That I Needed to Go Back 27:55 — Jamaica's Global Influence and the Expat Experience 75:03 — Arrested: A Week in South African Prison 93:15 — Life as a Model: Behind the Glamour #HowDidYouGetHere #AprilJackson #SouthAfricaLiving #CapeTown #JamaicanInSouthAfrica #Modeling #ReggaeMusic #TheRudimentals #PrisonStory #ExpatLife #MulticulturalFamily #RaceAndIdentity #JamaicanCulture #LivingAbroad #Reinvention #CourageOverComfort #CaribbeanLife #AfricaFashionWeek #InterculturalFamily