INTERVIEW : CHRONIXX
Interview & pictures : Sébastien Jobart
on Tuesday, May 07th 2013 - 10 043 views
He had barely turned 20 last year when he quickly caught the attention of his peers. In the space of four years, and thanks to several high-quality singles, Chronixx now embodies the new face of Jamaican music.
Chronicle's son was in fact destined for production. Turning to singing, he was quick to show early maturity and obvious talent. A fine promise for the future, to be discovered for the first time in France in June, at the Paris Reggae Festival. An unpretentious interview.
Reggaefrance / You are the son of Chronicle, so you grew up in a musical environment. Was making music your profession a foregone conclusion?
Chronixx / It was always obvious to me that music would be part of my life, but not necessarily that I would make it my profession. I realised I had this love of music when I was a child. It was a natural thing, but it was only later that I became aware that I could earn a living from music. My brother, my sisters and I sang in a group when we were little. I also play a bit of piano.
Before stepping behind the mic, you were a producer, you composed riddims...
That was my first professional approach to music. I started freelance, in my bedroom, composing, then I joined Zic Fence. I met Romaine "Teflon" Arnett (a producer at Zic Fence, not to be confused with the dancehall artist Teflon, ed.), and the whole production team.
Was it through Zic Fence that you met the Jah Ova Evil (J.O.E) family?
Teflon was very close to Lil Joe (who died in January 2012, ed.) and his brothers. I went to Vineyard Town, where they live. Since then, we have kept that bond. It was after Little Joe's death that I really started to sing. There was talk of me producing riddims for him, a few months before his death, but I wasn't able to finish that work... Little Joe's death is one of the things that pushed me to become an artist. Little Joe was a very promising young artist, he made very good songs. There are still very powerful songs that were never released... I saw the need, within Jah Ova Evil, to fill that void. Music had lost someone special, and he had to be replaced. Not replace him, but fill his absence... It is one of the things that led me towards singing.
 Les médias essaient de te faire croire que tu es arrivé là où tu voulais aller, alors même que tu n'as pas démarré ! 
Earlier, there was Behind Curtains, in 2008, which launched your career.
It's one of my first songs, the one that gave me momentum. I had good responses, notably in Kenya, where DJ G-Money played it a lot. It was my first breakthrough as an artist. Two years later, the rest of the world embraced this song. It's about disappointment within the family or among friends, in relationships. It says that your best friend can take your life. As Bob Marley said, your best friend knows your secrets, and he alone can reveal them... It's not a new theme for a song, but it's a new way of talking about it. It tells how human relationships can become very bitter over time; you have to be vigilant.
They don't know seems very personal...
It's my most personal song, as much as I can be personal in my songs. Before making this song, I wasn't the type to open up. It is 100% personal, it tells what I was going through in my life at that time.
More recently, there was Smile Jamaica, on the Honey Pot riddim, where you compare Jamaica to a woman...
That's really how I see Jamaica. A woman who has been mistreated, abused and taken for granted. Jamaica has done so much good for the world, not only for Jamaicans but for the whole world. Here we are in France, on the other side of the planet… Jamaicans have such an impact on the world, even if we don't see the fruits of it in Jamaica, you know? I show people that we can represent our little island, our little Third World country where we come from… We have to take care of our country. Whatever seeds we plant around the world, the fruits are brought back to the place where we were born. Yeah man.
Which artists do you feel close to? In your videos we often see Protoje…
It's a movement! Unlike what we're used to, where music means segregation, rivalries and beef. But we're not into beef, because we're vegetarian (a play on words with "beef", which means both "feud" and "beef" as in meat, Ed.). So you won't find me among those who are at war, in beef, in clash. For us, unity is what counts. Personally, I really like Protoje's music and the person he is, what he stands for. Same goes for Kabaka Pyramid, Jesse Royal, Jah9, Pentateuch, Raging Fyah… There is unity! I couldn't run into Protoje or Kabaka Pyramid anywhere in the world without inviting them to eat and spend time together. We cook for each other, and we eat together... It's real unity. It shows that music goes far beyond rivalries and egos.
All these artists we've talked about play a modern reggae but with an old vibration, as if…
(He cuts in) We are young but we have a very old consciousness, which is coming back to haunt the music. We are trying to orchestrate the return of roots reggae, our original music, the indigenous music of Jamaica. The music we have in Jamaica is a gift from God. It wasn't created by one man, but by several who allowed this sound to manifest. As young people, we are trying to preserve it as much as possible, and to keep the music positive. That's the most important thing. We will see the fruits of all this very soon. We are reshaping society, we are giving Jamaican music a new face.
Are you working on an album?
Not really an album, we're working, we're trying to make good music and put it out, whether as singles, EPs, mixtapes… What matters is having solid music that comes from the heart. Then we'll package it.
Is your father involved in your career? Do you ask him for advice?
No, not really, except for inspiration… He isn't involved in the management. I don't ask him for advice, but that doesn't stop him from giving me some (laughs)! It wasn't my father who led me to music. Music was always in the house, but he never earmarked me for a career as an artist, he always let me choose.
Things happened quickly for you. How did you experience that?
I wouldn't say "quickly". You'll always find someone who goes faster than you… It's the work you put in that pays off. We're not talking about promotional work, about handing out money, we're talking about making music, tirelessly.
How do you react when the media present you as the reggae sensation of the moment?
That's what the media do all the time. It's like a plot and it isn't necessarily a good thing. They try to trap you, to make you carry the world on your shoulders… But we're not fooled, and I don't pay too much attention to all that. I try to stay detached. I read, and I understand what is said about me, but I don't take it at face value, because it isn't healthy for a young person like me, who is trying to maintain a certain standard, with humility and focus. The media try to make you believe that you've got where you wanted to go, when you haven't even started!
You know, I'm a normal person. I wear normal clothes, no jewellery… I like nice things, I'd like to live in a pleasant environment, travel the world comfortably… I like having nice clothes and eating good food, but that's where it stops. No extravagance… I try to live my thing simply, without imitating anyone.
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