Sean Paul humbled to receive national honour
International dancehall star Sean Paul is experiencing unbridled joy after it was annouced that he will be conferred with the Order of Distinction by the Government of Jamaica.
The Get Busy artiste is being recognised for his contribution to the global popularity and promotion of reggae music. He will receive the honour on Heroes Day.
“Most Heroes Days I see people getting them, and I wonder about their lives, wonder what it took to get them there; and now that this has happened to me, it is just a surreal moment,” Sean Paul said.
“I am grateful for the recognition. All I want to do is continue to play my part in helping our culture to continue to dominate the airwaves all around the world,” Sean Paul added.
The star, who has been making tsunami-like waves in the dancehall sector for more than two decades, underscored the importance of honouring deserving individuals while they are alive and well.
“As humans, we tend to spend
more time on the negative, so when things like this are shown priority it is always a great thing. It helps to encourage those who we live with and among, it helps to inspire and motivate us,” he said.
Sean Paul reminisced on the journey of reggae and dancehall music and shared that its growth has been impacted by multiple icons.
“It’s our likes and dislikes, it’s our beliefs, our hopes and dreams, our hard times. All of these things are in the music, it’s a spirit of who we are, who Jamaicans are. I am very pleased that it has become a backbeat to various genres, such as pop, hip hop, soca, and even helping to shape genres such as Afrobeat and reggaeton,” the Fuego deejay said.
He is glad to be playing a pivotal role in this development.
“That’s all I have wanted to do, to take part in the history of the music and hope to be remembered. What I’ll be remembered as, I don’t really know, but I know what I have strived to do, which is wave the flag high,” Sean Paul said.