INTERVIEW

Interview by : Sébastien Jobart Pictures by : Camille Chauvel on Saturday, November 27th 2004 - 11 970 views  Print        Reactions  (0)    Everyone has hummed the chorus of his hit Virtous Woman. That one track was enough for Warrior King to earn a place in the sun. We catch up with him in the company of Bushman, on the occasion of their European tour. Reggaefrance / Warrior King, hello, thank you for granting us this interview. Warrior King / Greetings in the name of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Haile Selassie I the First. It's an honour and a pleasure to be with you. Give thanks. Yesterday you were in concert with Bushman. What were your impressions? It was great because the Parisians have always supported Warrior King. The vibe was great, I really appreciated the audience's support. I felt the presence of the Most High there. Truthfully. The last time we met, you told us that you sang like Bounty Killer when you started out. You even almost took his name... Yes, my stage name was Bounty Junior. I didn't really take it from him: my friends at school started calling me that because I sang like him. I liked his music, and Bounty Killer as a person. He's a good man, I know him personally. Did you record under the name Bounty Junior? No, never. Because I then changed to Junior Kid, then Junior King. There was a period when I was called Powers. Then Junior King again, and finally Warrior King. And why Warrior King? Because God decided it. My manager knows Frisco Kid. When we met, he kept saying “Blessed Warrior” to me. I went to my manager and told him I wanted to use the name Warrior King. Everybody called me that. I'm just a spiritual warrior who fights, I'm at war for rights and justice, truth, righteousness and love among all peoples. What are your sources of inspiration? To tell you the truth, my first source of inspiration is His Imperial Majesty. And Love, too. Because Jah is Love and Life. What I feel in my heart, what I see around me gives me inspiration. Every time the songs come to me, it's the Most High himself who gives them to me to pass his message on to the people. All the songs I sing give strength to me as they do to you, because we are both human beings. What is good for me is good for you and for everyone who listens to the music. Yuh understand? What did you do before singing? I was at school. I was an engineer. I got my degree in mechanical engineering. When I left school, I took the music bus, I broke through, and I never went to work in their industry. What is the message behind your music? Love. Love is the foundation of the World. In fact, there are His Majesty's teachings, and Love. Who is Warrior King? Love. What is Warrior King about? Love. So you can call me Love too, because that's what I am. I want the people of France to know that I am Love. I represent Love. My music is Love. When I walk, when I talk, when I shake hands (he demonstrates) I am Love. Everything in me is Love. The album “Virtous Woman” is built on melodies. How do you write your songs? Sometimes I think of the words, sometimes of the melodies. For some songs, the melody comes to my head, with the words. I then go to the studio where Calibud, the producer, plays the riddim, has the harmonies sung, then mixes the whole thing. For other tracks, I'm given a riddim, I listen to it, and the words come with the melody. There are several methods. Virtous Woman was a huge hit. Can you tell us about how that song came about? It was my first real release. My manager came to me with the Lion Paw riddim. At first I didn't like that riddim much. But my manager persuaded me. It was the Father who gave me the inspiration. At the time I wrote the song, I was studying the teachings of Marcus Garvey. And he taught me that a man cannot live without a woman. A woman for a man. I was reading that book and at the time, my empress and I were separated. Being separated, I was longing for a woman's love. As a child, I was raised by my mother. I have the greatest respect for women. I love them. I really love them. That was the message of the song. Haile Selassie I taught me that women should have equal roles in daily activities. From these teachings and inspirations, I wrote the song. We recorded it and when it came out, it became number one worldwide. For 13 weeks, in Jamaica alone. Your songs tackle strong themes like education, faith... Do you read the Bible? My songs are like psalms and proverbs. My songs aren't only there to make people move, they are also there to educate them. Never Go Where The Pagans Go, Power To Chant, Love Jah and Live, Education is the key, Africa Shall Be Free... Songs like those. On my new album, there will be some too: Hold The Faith, My Life Is My Life, Is It Wrong for man... Whoever you see as your God, you have the right to do so. We, as human beings, to avoid wars and conflicts, should learn to respect our respective faiths. Even if I'm Rasta and you're Christian, we can still be good friends. The subjects of my songs are very important. I choose them for their relevance to the times we live in. Let's talk a little about this second album... It's called “Hold The Faith” and will come out in February on VP. Most of the tracks are produced by Sheldon “Calibud” Stewart, as on the first album. It's the same team, for the same positive vibes. It's live, no computers. Will there be a featuring on the album? There may be one, but we're not sure yet. Maybe a combination with Gentleman. I like that singer. I like his songs, his music. He's very good. Lots of young roots artists are having great success, like Bushman. How do you explain it? Roots is the foundation of today's music. Whatever happens, the foundations will remain solid. It was like that in the beginning, it is like that right now. Since the beginning, it's roots & culture that dominates. The essence of reggae is the message it carries and its riddim. It's moving forward... It's lifting its head. Will we never hear you on more dancehall riddims? No, because I love live instruments too much. That's how I can express myself. But I have no problem with dancehall riddims. As long as it's positive, the music is no problem. Whether you're a rapper, deejay, singer... But for me personally, I'm going to continue down this road: singing on acoustic roots riddims. You won't see me singing on dancehall riddims. The delivery is too fast, people can't understand. I sing at my own pace. How do you picture yourself in the future? When I look to the future, I am confident, as I sing in Africa Shall Be Free. But we have to be honest: nobody knows what tomorrow will bring. Personally, what I can say is that I have turned myself into an instrument in the hands of the Most High. And He knows what tomorrow will bring Warrior King. I am planting good seeds today. Hopefully they will bear fine fruit tomorrow. It's the only thing I can do. I hope everything will turn out for the best, I work as well as I can. Whatever I do, I do my best according to my abilities. I put my heart, my soul, my love into it. Are you considering production? Yes, in the future I would like to have my own studio, my own label and to produce myself as well as young artists with talent and good vibes. Whatever a man conceives can be achieved. But everything takes time. For the moment, I'm learning the ropes. Later, I will produce myself, other artists and even my child. Really? Yes, he'll be two years old on 15 December. But I see music in his eyes. In five years, I'll produce him! When I write my songs, he's always around me. He grabs the mic and sings... I know he'll start singing young. Thank you very much, Warrior King.  Print       Reactions (0)

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