INTERVIEW : COLLIE BUDDZ
Interview by : Paul Bastrot
Pictures by : DR
on Sunday, February 04th 2007 - 16 517 views
A young artist from Bermuda, Collie Buddz is well on his way to his first number one hit in Jamaica. Climbing steadily in the charts for three months, his song Come Around (produced by Massive B) is currently 4th in the Jamaica Weekly Top 30 Singles. In the meantime, it has reached number one in the UK and German charts. Quickly signed to Sony, Collie Buddz has since recorded a duet with Beyonce on the Ring the alarm Remix, and is polishing his first album, which will be released in June. A conversation.
Reggaefrance / How did you discover reggae?
Collie Buddz / I discovered reggae when I was very young. When I was at primary school, my big brother bought 45s and I listened to them with him, getting my first vibes. Then I got hooked. Reggae is really big here in Bermuda. Then at about 12, at secondary school, I started buying tapes of Jamaican sound systems like Killamanjaro, Bass Odyssey and Black Kat....
Who were your favourite artists at that time?
If I had to pick a few, I'd say Buju Banton, Bounty Killer and Beenie Man, but I also loved Garnett Silk, Tenor Saw and Barrington Levy.
When did you start singing?
Around 15, I started recording dubplates for local sound systems in Bermuda. My big brother was putting down a few lyrics at that time and he was in demand for dubs. I started following him to studio sessions; I loved watching him write his lyrics and then lay them on a riddim. I wanted to get into this local scene too, and my first dubs started to circulate.
Which sound systems were around in Bermuda at the time?
The first sound I knew was Nuclear Weapon with Snake, then Souljah One with Magic and Lenky, which was really big at that time. But there were other sounds too, like Ogs-Genesis, for example.
And local artists?
There was Ninja Cutty, who was the number one local artist in those years. He's still at the top today, and he gave a lot of inspiration to young artists like me.
We all know you for your hit Come Around. Had you released other records before?
Basically, Come Around is really my first international song, so I'm extremely happy. I knew it was a good tune. We met Bobby Konders of Massive B for him to produce it, because we wanted to give it real international exposure.
How did you meet?
My road manager Kevin and my DJ Pee-Wee, who also selects for the Pretty Posse sound, come from New York. The connection was then made with the other local sounds, including Massive B, who are really big with their dances all over the city and their radio show on Hot 97.
Where does the theme of the tune come from?
The inspiration comes from Bermuda; Come Around is about the bad ganja we get at home in winter. In fact, it's very hard to find high-grade, or sometimes even decent herb at all, at that time of year. This tune is the deliverance for every ganjaman in Bermuda when the good weed finally comes back. But I realised the tune was touching people all over the world, because ultimately this situation can happen anywhere (laughs).
How did you feel when you realised the tune's success?
It's so exciting, I still find it hard to believe. I'd never been to Europe and I find myself on tour here thanks to this song. It's crazy, I wasn't expecting it, I'm really very happy. And it's very motivating for what comes next.
You are now working on your first album...
I signed this album with Sony BMG, and it's produced by Tony Kelly. There are riddims from Massive B, from Screwface, who is from Virginia, from Curtis Junior, and we also contacted Steven Mc Gregor for productions.
Can you tell us more about the features?
There will be two local artists, Roachkilla and C'Daynger, who has an excellent tune (Bun down the system). For the international features, there will be a remix of Come Around with Busy Signal, a tune with Akon, also Loyd Banks of G-Unit and Crazy Bones of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. We are also trying to get Bounty Killer and Wayne Wonder.
Tell us about meeting Beyonce on the Ring the Alarm Remix.
Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to be in the studio with her. She is signed to Sony and they were looking for an artist for this remix; they sent me the tapes and asked whether I was interested. I jumped at the opportunity straight away, and Beyonce liked my vocals, so the tune came out.
What themes will you tackle in your lyrics?
A lot of my inspiration comes from Bermuda, from our way of life and the culture there in general. I'm going to give an approach to our style with deep lyrics; there will be conscious tunes, others for the ladies, and also more festive tunes. It will really be a very varied album, but always with a conscious approach in the lyrics.
What will the musical colour of the album be?
Here again, it will be very varied: there will be reggae sounds, others really dancehall, also a few calypso and soca sounds, and others in a more hip-hop style.
When is the release planned?
The release is planned for 6 June 2007.
Reggae comes from Jamaica and you are a young white singer from a neighbouring island with a number one single almost everywhere in the world. Do you think that difference has helped you?
It's clear that people feel this different vibe because I come from Bermuda, and I think that's what they appreciate. This particular style makes my sounds sound different, and that's really what gives my music its strength. Music crosses all borders.
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