With full lips and a go-getter attitude, Joby Jay demands the attention of a star. She is currently securing her place in the music industry as a creative force to be reckoned with. Her mood might very well be filtering over from 2019, like she...
A quiet breakout singer from St Ann, Timuna, has her eyes set on being the next flower to blossom from the Garden Parish. While her appreciation of Afrocentric style makes her a fit in today’s reggae landscape, it’s her ‘switch-it-up’ prowess in...
Last year, Cliff Manswell’s fingers were busy adding to the melodies of Jamaican roots-reggae trio the Mighty Diamonds with his bass guitar on their US West Coast tour. This year, the Trinidad-born guitarist’s is focused on reviving his label while...
Supporters of the annual Jamaica Carnival celebrations were left in limbo earlier this year when the announcement that 2020 carnival events would move from the original date in April to Sunday, October 25, due to the continued spread of the...
Justin Bieber did it for Beauty and a Beat in 2012. The following year, Portland, Oregon-based Latin indie band Y La Bamba did it for Ponce Pilato, and Ariana Grande, who was inspired by the concept, employed it for her collaboration with Big Sean...
There are pros to being the son of a recording artiste, but Jahazeil Myrie, son of Grammy award winning reggae-dancehall entertainer Mark ‘Buju Banton’ Myrie, says it’s not always an easy road. And, the young artiste is not asking for it to be...
This singer says she is not here to make any trouble, but already, Nordia Mothersille is stirring up a lot of talk as the first female to be signed officially to NotNice Records. Discovered by the record label’s owner, Ainsley ‘NotNice’ Morris,...
Exactly one year ago, Abijah, the conscious reggae singer identified as a lyrical peacemaker, emerged burning a fire with his single, ‘ The Rootsman’. Like a book that is worth reading, the words combined to make a track that informed listeners of...
The likes of Ed Sheeran, Damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley, Wyclef Jean, Sean Paul and, most recently, Ghana’s megastar Shatta Wale never let the opportunity pass to lend their lyrical and vocal expertise to the production of the compilation series, Tropical...
Recordings artistes, locally and internationally, have been treading the musical waters with caution. Several have even decided to shelve major projects such as album launches until the industry sees some level of normalcy returning. Jamiel Foster...
It’s not news that the current fight against COVID-19 has overshadowed plans of artistes worldwide, having impacted some of their biggest stages and platforms with the cancellation of not only large-scale events but private ones as well. Birthday...
The wet weather last Saturday (May 2) could not dampen the spirits of award-winning gospel artiste and ordained evangelist Kevin Downswell as he ventured into the St Catherine community of Central Village, where he spent some of his formative years...
WHAT STARTED as an idea of two Barbadians – Ian Webster and Cheyne Jones – transformed into We Got This, a song which proved enough to stir the collective imagination of 25 recording artistes from 14 countries across the region, disseminating the...
REGGAE ARTISTE Isha Blender is still coming to terms with the loss of her son, Josiah, on January 5, a mere two days after she celebrated her birthday. The daughter of legendary crooner Everton Blender said the death of a child can be one of the...
In an increasingly disconnected world, a community has been created through Riddim Saturdays – a participatory music-and-songwriting event led by producer Dale Virgo and recording artistes of varying cultures, backgrounds, ages and musical...
Even within the confines of self-quarantine, Julian Marley has not stopped performing. Over on social media, the son of the legendary reggae icon Bob is lighting a fire with live campfire sessions – intimate and organic – where he shares some of...
AFTER A couple of musical explorations, Dale ‘Dizzle’ Virgo can say that he has discovered his niche. Running a tight ship as a record producer, musician, songwriter, studio engineer, entrepreneur and, in recent times, film-maker, he has charted...
APPLE MUSIC has touched down in 52 new countries as of last Tuesday, April 21 – Jamaica being one of several from the Caribbean region. It is an expansion that industry stakeholders agree was no easy undertaking, but has been long overdue. “Our...
Longevity in the music business for bands is rare, and Third World proudly continues to defeat the test of time. For close to five decades, one would think that they have done and seen it all, but for the reggae ambassadors, as their latest Grammy-...
Musician Bamm Holt has teamed up with SunCity Radio to provide some COVID-19 relief to disabled persons during the pandemic. Born Scwayne Holt, the grandson of reggae icon John Holt, the artiste has, through the Volts of Holt Foundation’s HOPE...
A diet of pseudo Jamaican food – canned callaloo and boiled dumplings, or cock soup made with squash instead of pumpkin – is the only thing that brings the flavour of home to Oraine Frater and Tara Price, a pair of Jamaican dancers stranded in the...
Numerous dancehall entertainers have experimented with Afrobeats, the launch pad for a new generation of artistes from Nigeria, Ghana, and other English-speaking countries in West Africa. Popcaan, Demarco, Busy Signal, Beenie Man and Tarrus Riley...
RICHIE LOOP likens his love for music to that of a relationship with a woman who craves attention. “The very same music you love, she’ll leave you the moment you stop giving her the attention she needs,” the recording artiste surmised in an...
For the past four years, on a Saturday in April, VP Records has celebrated International Record Store Day with its free, vinyl-only sound system showcase at its retail outlet in Jamaica Queens, New York. It is a day dedicated to independently owned...
Like a salmon swimming upstream, Austria-born singer and songwriter Stefan Prieler is on the long and hard journey of finding the right niche. He wants to be added to the list of respected non-Jamaican reggae and dancehall acts, such as Gentleman,...
