Tuesday, September 17, 2024

13 THE STAR ENTERTAINMENT • Tuesday, September 17, 2024 @JamaicaStar www.facebook.com/JamaicaStar • www.jamaica-star.com W hen producer Paul ‘JJ Wizzle’ Stephenson and his team from Yardstyle Entertainment were working on new beats, little did they know that one of them would evolve into a song that earned him his first entry as a producer on the USA iTunes reggae chart. Mamacita , a combination of dancehall, reggae and reggaeton, was produced by JJ Wizzle and Tywann ‘Rico Tayla’ Taylor for Yardstyle, and Gregory Gayle of 2 Cuz Production. It was recorded by Costa Rican reggaeton artiste Toledo and Colombian artiste Lion Bigmao. It debuted at No. 7 on the USA iTunes reggae chart. The Portmore- based JJ Wizzle, who has been involved in music production for the past decade, shared that he and Rico Tayla were making some new beats in the studio when the latter “found a sound”. “So I reached out to some of my industry contacts with links in South America to find who had the matching vibe, and they found it with Toledo and Lion Bigmao,” said JJ Wizzle. He described working with the Latin American artistes as “professional”. “They were both very professional, these are established names in music in that part of the world and they have their credentials,” JJ Wizzle added. He said he was surprised at the song’s entry on the iTunes chart. “We were always hopeful still, but this response is surprising in many ways. Big up everybody who is streaming, playing or working with the vibe right now. We’re just enjoying the love, and we are encouraged to share more love and good music with people,” he said. JJ Wizzle honed his craft on local sound systems before venturing into radio for a brief period. “Music has been a lifelong journey. Music is a passion, so from sound system days of making remixes, mixtapes and touring in high school, it was an automatic transition to voicing dubplates and studio engineering – then creating my first production with artistes like I-Wayne, Deva Bratt, Gyptian and Terror Fabulous, among others,” he stated. There are plans for more collaborations with international acts, including artistes from France. PORTMORE PRODUCER FINDS REGGAETON HIT JJ Wizzle C ontributed Rico Tayla D ancehall artiste Bre Royal is generating a major buzz on local radio with her latest single, Overseas Love , a steamy, soulful dancehall song about the bitter and sweet of long-distance relationships. “The feedback has been phenomenal so far, people are really liking and gravitating to the vibe of it. The inspiration comes from my own experience of being in a long-distance relationship and facing the challenges that come with that. But, in the end, I believe that love conquers all,” said the artiste, whose given name is Britney Forsythe. The song was released last week. During her teens, Bre Royal lived in Spanish Town, St Catherine, and attended Ascot High School in Portmore before she transferred to Micoud Secondary in St Lucia. “Growing up in Spanish Town was a good experience, and I found that St Lucia isn’t that much different from Jamaica. It’s just that St Lucia has a more relaxed atmosphere,” she said. Bre Royal was always into music from a tender age and started composing songs at age 12, when she realised that she wanted to pursue music as a career. The first song she recorded was a love song titled Bunny , which was released in 2017 under her stage name. “My first name is Britney, but my family and friends call me ‘Bre’. I got the name ‘Royal’ from my best friend because his alias is the same. I asked him to use his name because it just sounds right and he said, ‘Of course, why not?’” she explained. She plans to release her first EP in 2025 and is focused on releasing singles, as interested producers are already sending beats her way. Promoters, intrigued by her unique sound, have also expressed an interest in her doing club shows throughout the Caribbean. “I am ready to make my mark and let everyone know what Bre Royal represents,” she said. Bre Royal pines for that ‘overseas love’ Bre Royal