Sean Paul wants to hear some 'Trinigood' music too

DANCEHALL superstar Sean Paul has taken notice of the “Trinibad” dancehall movement and is advising local acts to balance their lyrical content and song topics.

Speaking to Overtime Media this week about his new album entitled Live N Livin, the Grammy Award-winner said the title of this album, released on March 12, is a positive affirmation – both for himself and the dancehall genre.

He told Overtime Media: “The album is called Live N Livin to reaffirm that I am alive and living – it’s a positive affirmation to anyone that’s listening to realise that I understand this and also to reaffirm that dancehall music itself is live and living – even in different territories such as the 'Trinibads' and these places. I have heard Prince Swanny and dem boy dey.”

Asked his opinion on the Trinibad movement, Sean Paul saluted local acts like Prince Swanny aka Taryll Mical Swan, and Jahllano aka Llano Grant, and others for keeping dancehall music alive and telling the stories of life in Trinidad. However, in light of the deaths of several of these local acts over the past year, he also advised the young singers to “maintain ah balance” and to tell all sides of their stories.

He said: “This music is to tell people what’s going on in our lives and I encourage people fi talk the truth every time. A lot ah time now we kinda embellishing or over exaggerating or over glorifying ah violent type ah lifestyle like it is the realist thing – like we get up every morning and drink we tea and buss gun inna boy head – and that ain’t true, or else there would be none of us left on earth. Scene?

"So, that’s my only thing with the badness: meh just wha big up everybody who ah do music and say yes, yuh must reflect the badness that is in society cause yeah, because that is what the music is for, but also tell the real story dem – tell de story when yuh shoot somebody an afi go hide inna hill and yuh cyah see yuh baby mother nor yuh baby dem for months, yuh understand?

He continued, "Tell de story when police ah come look fuh yuh and yuh frighten and yuh paro because yuh cyah even trust yuh best friend cause dem will sell you out cause dem know wha yuh do. So tell dem story dey too, not just the ones where you afi the baddest ting and no boy cyah test cause if dem test ah pure problems and violence!”

Born Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques in 1973, to mixed parentage in Jamaica (his parents had Portuguese, Chinese, and Jamaican forebears), Sean Paul was an excellent swimmer who also played water polo and later represented the Jamaican national team in the latter. After making a name for himself on the regional dancehall circuit, he broke into the global mainstream in the early 2000s with pop-friendly party jams like Get Busy from his Grammy-winning Dutty Rock album, plus the chart-topping smash Temperature.

An early proponent of the dancehall pop movement, Sean Paul also earned a reputation as a worthy guest star, appearing on Beyonce's hit Baby Boy in 2002. The dancehall star then enjoyed a career resurgence in the latter part of the 2010s when he was introduced to a fresh generation of fans via high-profile collaborations with artists like Sia, Clean Bandit and Pharrel Williams.

His 2018 EP Mad Love: The Prequel thrust him back in the spotlight, boasting major hits like No Lie with Dua Lipa and Mad Love with David Guetta and Becky G. Sean Paul carried his success into the next decade with a barrage of singles including 2020's Tove Lo collaboration, Calling on Me.

His latest album Live N Living features traditional dancehall production with a stellar cast of collaborators such as: Buju Banton, Damian Marley, Mavado, Busy Signal, Suku Ward, Serani, Govana, Intence, Masicka, Skillibeng, Quash, Chi Ching Ching, Jesse Royal, Sutu Bless, Luga Man and Rassa Joy. The father of two is also scheduled to release another album later this year (with more international collaborations) entitled Scorcher and will host his first live streaming concert for 2021 on May 8 from Jamaica.

Story and photos courtesy Overtime Media