Reggae crooner Iba MaHr set to release new album
AFTER YEARS of honing his skills and doing music to inspire listeners, reggae singer Iba MaHr says he is now in a place to release an album.
His entrance into the mainstream started with Will I Wait in 2011. The song got much airplay, but Iba MaHr still did not cement himself as a household name.
However, last year he released Diamond Sox, with Notis, and since then the dancehall-inspired song has led to the singer winning Song of the Year at the JaRIA Honour Awards earlier this year and nominations in this year’s STAR Awards that will be held on the
The music that we make wouldn’t come off as commercial. It is like wine, the more you hear it, the better it gets.
waterfront, downtown Kingston, on May 30.
“Initially, when I started in music, it was about connecting with the people and using your voice to send a message and to change things. The more we grow into the business, the more it develop as a business and not just an art,” he told The Gleaner.
“It is a nice feeling. The aim and objective is to send a message to the people. The music that we make wouldn’t come off as commercial. It is like wine, the more you hear it, the better it gets. Our message, sometimes it takes a while for people to connect with it. When it connect with people, it never leaves them.”
Now, Iba MaHr says he is ready to release his album. Although the album will be released by this summer, he said he is yet to finalise the name.
He added that it will be a combination of “love songs and roots” with a mix of dancehall in the form of Diamond Sox. He said there will collaborations with Jah9 and Jamarley.
“It is one to look forward to. Now is the time for an album because I think it is long overdue,” said Iba MaHr, who recorded his first single, Had It and Lost It, in 2007.
MUSIC FOR MEDITATION
“I think my fan base really have fi do with people who seek some kind of meditation and ease, a relaxed type of vibe. We have the album now to present.”
Iba MaHr noted that VP Records will be distributing this debut album, but he does not intend to limit it to any particular market.
Another thing he is excited about is his song Talk If Dem Want, which was produced by Damian ‘Jr Gong’ Marley.
“It is one of dem experience deh weh we use to see where you are at in terms of making music. When Damian Marley can seh him waan record you, it is a big thing to me. It is a great feeling and we see where the music a head,” he told The Gleaner.