Sizzla

Miguel Collins, better known as Sizzla, was born on 17 April 1977 and grew up in the very close-knit community of August Town. Born to very devout parents, Sizzla was steeped in religion from an early age, and it comes as no surprise to see him join the ranks of the Bobo Ashanti in the mid-90s.

Musically, he cut his teeth alongside Caveman Hi-Fi and under the name Little One. But in 1995 he seized a first opportunity to boost his career by recording a first track for the Zagalou label and, above all, by subsequently teaming up with Bobby Digital Dixon for several smashing singles. The tour he undertook that same year alongside Luciano finished winning over the public and earned him a well-deserved place at the front of the modern reggae scene.

In 1996 his career took another decisive turn, as that year marked the start of his long and still ongoing collaboration with Phillip Fattis Burrel, boss of the well-known Xterminator label. After several hit singles with him, Sizzla set about releasing his first two albums for the label, "Burning Up" and, the following year, "Praise Ye Jah".
1997 was also the year of Sizzla's international breakthrough with the release of his third album "Black Woman And Child", which has since become a cult record and which already had the effect of a bombshell at the time, even earning him a first MOBO award nomination for best international reggae act in 1998.

That year, 98, saw two more albums released, "Freedom Cry" and "Kalonji", nearly identical but no less faultless opuses, which led to a second MOBO awards nomination.
From 1999 on, everything took off again and Sizzla became the artist he still is today: a complete, productive and versatile singer, whom one could criticise for some of his productions (quality always suffering from excess quantity), but whose courage in trying new genres and taking on new artistic challenges must also be acknowledged.

He has since represented a gold mine for labels, which fight over him and are ready to release anything, and sometimes just anything, as long as Sizzla's name is on the project. The two biggest labels, Greensleeves and VP Records, take an ardent part in this competition, and it is almost systematic to see a Sizzla album come out on one label just as the other has released one.

Regardless of this businessman profile, Sizzla remains a very mysterious, rebellious and outspoken figure, who confides little, if at all, in the media and loathes promotional activity (he is one of the only major reggae artists not to have his own personal website, for example). His shows are quite rare, although always sold out.

Lately, Sizzla has been making the news pages more often than the music pages. Indeed, after all the artists, even the most virulent, apologised for their notorious homophobia and promised to moderate their words in future, Sizzla stands out from the pack and draws the wrath of the gay lobbies by championing his African roots more than ever and stating that no apology will ever come from him on the subject. Likewise, the incitement to violence and insurrection his lyrics are accused of has led to him being closely watched by the Jamaican authorities, and he has even recently had serious run-ins with the law. Whether or not one agrees with his principles, one cannot deny Sizzla's talent and his strength, even courage, in upholding his convictions at all costs, at the risk of harming his career.