Dizzle JA dreams of international stardom
Bertony Reynolds was a student at Morant Bay High School when he discovered his musical talents.
He recalls entering school competitions and forming a dancehall group with his friends as he embraced what he described as his natural calling. Reynolds, who now goes by the moniker Dizzle JA, told THE STAR that he sees himself making Billboard charts and copping multiple Grammy Awards.
“I started doing music professionally in 2005 when I released my first project called Money Moves. It was a mixtape of 24 songs and although it didn’t generate a lot of interest, working on the project made me realise even more that this was my calling. I have been doing music from high school days, but that moment was when Dizzle JA was born,” he said. The aspiring entertainer said he wants his music to go to the widest parts of the globe.
“I want people everywhere to know my name and my music. I give major props to artistes like Sean Paul and Shaggy because I look at how far they’ve managed to go with their craft, and it makes me proud. Any corner of this world you go, people know Sean Paul and Shaggy. They understood what needed to be done to make it internationally, and they put in the work to get there. I am taking notes from these icons because that is the level I desire to put Dizzle JA music,” he said.
The Hamstead, St Thomas, native said that while he wants love and appreciation from the local fan base, overseas is his main focus.
“I want to get one Billboard charting song after the other, the Grammy Awards and the platinum records. Right now, the way I think big, my dream collab is with Beyoncé. I don’t think limits,” he said. “The music industry is very challenging, but once you learn to manoeuvre it, anything is possible. It’s like a machine. It has different parts, but once you get all those parts to work together, you are unstoppable. So yuh affi do the good music, promote it and get a team that will help everything fall into place.” Sighting Bob Marley and Jay- Z among his musical inspirations, the entertainer says he draws on different aspects of their careers to fuel his own.
“Bob Marley inspired me as a person with his messages and the man he was. Jay-Z is who I model the business aspect of the music off of. Dem man deh know how fi mek things work outside of the music. He is also very helpful and is the reason a lot of artistes out there got their break in the industry,” he said. “I see myself running a worldwide music programme for young kids that have the drive for music and the arts/business. I have a company called La-Fam Entertainment, and I am planning to expand that. I need a big industrial building in Jamaica where the young yutes dem, aside from going to school, dem can come to that building and learn music. And I mean learn to play instruments, record music properly, the engineering side, to know sounds. To learn how to put a project together, production, all of it. Just like Bob Marley have Tuff Gong, that’s where I see myself going in the industry as a music mentor.”
Personal Mantra: “Music is the soundtrack to my life. Without it, there would be no Dizzle JA. Music is my calling.”
Songs currently promoting: “White Air Force Standard and Henny Vybz and I just drop a song called Bad Gyal.”
Artistes he would like to
work with: “Any artiste that is willing to work with me are the ones that I would love to work with. I am an artiste who loves the idea of collaborating, and I don’t know why so many artistes are opposed to it. Me willing to work wid any and every artiste in every type of genre. My perfect feature right now would be Beyoncé.”
Biggest supporters: “My grandma passed away, but when she was alive, she loved hearing my music; she always said I was a star boy. My mother is also my number one fan. She is the person who really gimme the drive fi go further with music. Because she was into it so much, she made me say I got to make the best out of it.”