Yaksta’s ‘Bush Skanka’ personality reveals itself
The St Mary-born and raised artiste Yaksta believes that he has always been both conscious and dancehall playful as he spoke with THE WEEKEND STAR recently. Yaksta, named one of Pandora’s Caribbean Artistes to Watch for 2022, has been promoting the latest singles in his catalogue, Clap and Tic Toc, which has caused some amount of debate among fans.
“It is true that my fan base is predominantly conscious music lovers, but I also gained new followers and as an entertainer, I have been tasked to meet the demands of older fans who are familiar with my versatility,” Yaksta said. The artiste does not believe he has steered into a new direction but has revisited creativity he once expressed musically. He further explained that right now, “Yaksta is the new ‘Bush Skanka’,” and that he is producing music that speaks to the image and what he is passionate about.
“You can’t change art, you only discover upgrades and new adventures in creating. I was always a multi-dimensional act. I just chose to teach my truth as I got more exposed to the reality of life,” he said. “Each month the music industry sees a trilogy or pattern of releases, moving through conscious themes, party bangers and girl tunes to create some sort of balance.”
He soared into the spotlight with the single Ambition over a year ago which has currently garnered more than 12 millions views on YouTube. The conscious hit was named Song of the Year by the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association at its annual Honour Awards in April. For many reggae music lovers, the production set the standard they wanted to hear from Yaksta.
Yaksta, whose given name is Kemaul Martin, is one of the younger acts rostered to perform on Festival Night 2 of Reggae Sumfest and it will be his biggest debut on a Jamaica stage. When asked what he is preparing for the festival audience, he said, “persons can expect the unexpected.”
“Expectations are usually expected to be fulfilled or met but with me it will different. My preparations to perform on a Reggae Sumfest stage has been long in coming – it was long before my selection – I have been preparing myself mentally, and vocally for several years and I’m eager,” Yaksta shared.
He is not discouraged by naysayers or critics who do not agree with his exploration of suggestive lyrics because he believes that as an artiste, monotony can be boring.
“People will have mixed feelings. It’s OK to bash or to not be fond of certain topics, as long as the artiste does not lose his or her roots and truth. I’ve already been putting in a lot of work to show my various sides but nothing beats time, that alone will make fans see your depth,” he said.