10 Artists To Watch From Barbados (2019 Edition)

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Krisirie
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Krisirie

Barbados has given the world a number of things to be grateful for: rum, the bad gyal herself, Rihanna (and all Fenty and Fenty Beauty-related products), and then there’s the delectable variety of indulgent cuisine, such as coucou, flying fish and macaroni pie (not to be confused with mac-n-cheese or baked macaroni).

In addition to the aforementioned, the island has also given us one of the most highly anticipated festivals within the Caribbean region: Crop Over, which takes place every summer and ends with the illustrious Grand Kadooment parade. While Barbados’ most well-known musical offering is bashment, soca—which is said to have been pioneered by Lil Rick—and its leading artists in Lord Radio, Carolyn Leacock, Alison Hinds, Jackie Opel, Marzville, Rupee, Peter Ram, King Bubba and Edwin Yearwood, have spent years adding to Barbados’ lush, musical landscape, which also includes spouge and calypso music.

An emerging collective of acts are now hoping to add to the island’s longstanding musical legacy, drawing from sounds from across the globe while still creating a distinctly Bajan music product. Get to know 10 of them after the jump.


 

Krisirie

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It’s easy to be swept away in the paradise that Barbados’ warm beaches provide, and this same warmth is channeled in the rich vocals of Krisirie. The rising singer-songwriter draws on a bank of soulful vocals to produce mesmerisingly infectious tunes. And though she is yet to release a debut project, Krisirie has performed on many stages across the globe, reminding audiences of the diverse pool of musical talent the 246 has to offer.

Haleek Maul

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Haleek Maul is a rapper/producer making hauntingly honest, soul-stirring records coupled with cinematic visuals. Garnering the attention of the music industry at the tender age of 15 with his debut, Oxyconteen, Maul delivered an artistically menacing body of lyrically and sonically-textured work that has since matured with his latest drop, In Permanence. With talk of a new project landing soon, Maul’s discography is part of a musical canon that colours what artists from the Caribbean are capable of making. 

Island Levvy

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Island Levvy is in a league of his own, and that league is “urban tropic.” An accurate description of his musical stylings, Levvy’s coined term acknowledges the inspiration he draws from: the sounds of the Caribbean, mixed in with a heavy dose of hip-hop and R&B. Delivering spitfire bars, unapologetically in his Barbadian dialect, Levvy is representing to the fullest. And, something tells me, the best is yet to come.   

Shanta Prince

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It’s hard not to dance when you hear “Rude GyalShanta Prince’s voice belting from the radio, a truck during the Grand Kadooment parade, or an electric live performance. Though she got her start in music doing backup vocals for a variety of acts, including Rupee and Biggie Irie, she has since been a musical force, creating melodic anthems for all the independent ladies outta road. 

Nikita

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Nikita’s enchanting music is as memorable as her signature orange tresses, braids or curls. With an extensive musical resume that includes being born into the infamous Leacock family, performing on tour with soca behemoth Machel Montano and sharing a stage at The Hilton Barbados with Patti Labelle, Nikita continues to blend the sonic aesthetics of soul, pop and R&B with soca, delivering endless tunes to wukkup to.

Kris E

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Effortlessly straddling the lines between rapping and singing, Kris E’s music is an introspective and indulgent dive into pleasure and relationships. With cuts like “Too Much Woman” and “6 In The Morning/Queen Bitch Freestyle”, there’s no denying she can spit fiery and equally soul-baring lyrics. Her debut project, 2015’s DON’T FEED THE ANIMALS, is a promising look into the deliciously empowering anthems for women Kris E has to offer. 

GiiibbZ Of Fizix

Giiibbz Of Fizix

GiiibbZ Of Fizix’s music is filled with ruminations about life, and paired with slow-rolling, synth-laced production for a psychedelic mashup of sounds. The rapper and producer—with his trippy, evocative soundscapes—makes each tune an incredibly hypnotizing experience, and RiRi’s native is all the better for having him in it.

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Jus D

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There’s no limit to what Jus D can do. He’s an artist through and through who sings, writes music and produces. As a songwriter, he’s likely written for your favourite soca or reggae artist in the past (check the record credits, folks!) and as an artist himself, he’s “managed” to write, produce and perform a collection of memorable hits since he first came onto the scene with “9 (Na Na Ni)”. Considered last year’s breakout talent, he’s a regular on the carnival circuit and still giving fans upbeat melodies to wine to like his latest, “So What?”.

Faith

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Since entering Barbados’ soca scene, Faith has been making hit after hit. And history, too: during last year’s Monarch competition, she became the only woman who made it to the Party Monarch and Sweet Soca semi-finals. But one of her best qualities, outside of her singing of course, is her mindfulness towards other musicians. Memories, Faith’s 2019-released debut project, not only functioned as her first body of work but through its creation, she provided opportunities for other artists, songwriters, and producers from Barbados to work collaboratively. A true Bajan gem.

Jamal Slocombe

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Wanting to break from the confines of only releasing music for Crop Over season, Jamal Slocombe is an artist on a mission. Though many emerging artists look for ways to innovate and create new and dynamic sounds, part of Slocombe’s ambitious mission is to use his talent to preserve the stylings of Barbados’ indigenous spouge music. Get fi know! 

 

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