Songs like Fake Smile, Uptop Boss and Attention have made Teejay a hot property in the Jamaican dancehall, but the deejay yearns to break big in the American mainstream.
Riches Wii A Pree, his song with Inner Circle, is the deejay’s most ambitious move at the American market. It was launched November 14 at the veteran band’s Circle House studio in north Miami.
The single will be officially released in December. It is a precursor to Teejay’s debut album, Rags to Riches, scheduled for release next year.Though it retains his dancehall edge, Riches Wii A Pree has a pop feel he hopes will introduce him to a wider audience. “Wi (we) can’t stay in di box forever. Wi have to do this for other artists like me who a forward see that a nuh (is not) ego do this. When yuh (you) go out there yuh realize that the people who supposed to be buying yuh music don’t even know yuh,” Teejay noted.
This year, Teejay switched from the camp of Romeich Entertainment Limited to Solid Agency which makes him ‘team-mates’ with Shaggy who was at Circle House to give the 25 year-old artist support. Teejay is from Glendevon, a tough community in Montego Bay. He has been recording since his early teens and is known in dancehall circles as the Uptop Boss. Many elite deejays successfully made the evolution from Jamaica’s dancehall to the American pop scene. Shabba Ranks, Mad Cobra, Super Cat and Beenie Man are just some of them. Teejay wants to follow their path and be as successful. “It’s my job to do dancehall. Is my job to spread it across di world an’ mek (make) people enjoy di music,” he said.
You must log in to post a comment.