Change for gain, Shane O advises
Dancehall artiste Shane O is encouraging his colleagues to try a different approach with their music if the material they are putting out isn’t getting them the attention they deserve. The artiste, who was recently signed as an ambassador by rum makers J. Wray and Nephew, says Corporate Jamaica is knocking at his doors now and believes it is because of the content he has been putting out.
“If you want corporate fi look pan yuh and yuh wah see yuh face pan billboard and pan TV, do something else. If yuh a sing one set a song and dem song deh nah pree positivity, den it nah go work,” he said. “Look at me. Me used to follow every other artiste and say a gun song a run di place, so a dat me a go do. It never work fi me. Me did affi just find back miself, so any artiste out there right now, if yah do supmn over a period a time and it nah bring yuh no results, just try a different thing.”
The entertainer revealed that throughout his career only music with positive content has brought him real results. The deejay struggled for a number of years to find the right song that would reintroduce him to the dancehall scene and he found that with Mil to Share. He said that in addition to the Wray and Nephew endorsement, he has been approached by several other companies which want to align themselves with his brand.
KEEP THE MUSIC CLEAN
Shane O says it is not only a good look for him, but dancehall music. “I have songs that speak to getting together. My songs are just fun. It give people a good energy and companies like that. The messages in the music have a lot to do with how far your songs go and who want to join your team and support yuh,” he said. “It (the support) shows that is not just straight fight dancehall music and dancehall artiste get, and it show say when artiste put in the work and keep the music clean weh everybody can listen to, people will hear it and wah attach themselves to it.”
He used fellow artiste Ding Dong as an example. “Look pan man like all Ding Dong from a place like Nannyville. Fi get signed to Grace over him song Flairy is a nice thing fi di artiste and fi di community. All the songs weh a come out from the other day a some nice songs. Dem catchy, the vibes right, people a dance and a enjoy demself. It nuh have nuh bag a indecent language or the gun gun thing, so corporate did affi look pan it and recognise eventually,” he said. “The company dem a say: ‘Yeah, dancehall look good and a some nice songs so we a go just reach out to the artiste’,” he said.