The new colt at Downsound Records after Fantan Mojah's tumultuous departure for Greensleeves, Nanko presents himself as "the new sensation". In his very young career, this young singer has already managed to place two tracks in the Jamaican charts. First came his hit Lucky you on the Sweet Sop riddim, squarely in line with what made I Wayne and then Gyptian successful. A number one hit quickly followed by another success, Loco Amor this year. In France for MIDEM, we could not miss the chance to meet him.
Where does the name Nanko come from?
Nanko At first, I gave this name to somebody, and it finally came back to me. It's what I called a friend while we were playing football. In the end, everybody called me that. I looked up the meaning of the name in a book, "Star Signs" by Linda Goodman: Nanko refers to love, success, music.
Your mother wanted you to be a pastor... How do you go from the Church to reggae?
Nanko My mother wanted me to enter the ministry when I was young. But it simply didn't happen. Very young, I found myself making music. I didn't really choose it. I just found myself in it.
What was your first studio?
Nanko Well... I went from studio to studio. Eventually I joined Downsound Records, with whom I had my first number one hit, Lucky You.
Tell us about the birth of that tune, then.
Nanko Lucky You was an inspiration. Where I live, I saw everybody happy. After school, my friends were with their girlfriends. All around me people were getting married... Not everything was as good for me. That dark feeling gave birth to the song, Lucky You ("chanceux" in French, editor's note).
You are part of this new roots movement that is booming in Jamaica; how did this vibe come to you?
Nanko To tell you the truth, I started out deejaying, like Bounty Killer or Beenie Man. But as I was telling you, I didn't really "choose" to do this; I found myself singing reggae, roots rock reggae. Now I balance between reggae and dancehall. I found that the world accepts roots rock reggae more easily at the moment. The world prefers singing, even if dancehall remains popular.
In Jamaica, fighting violence is one of the responsibilities of artists...
Nanko Yes, it's part of our responsibilities. I would even say it's one of the reasons why the world prefers reggae to dancehall. Reggae educates people. It's a calmer music.
You seem very concerned with women and their place in men's lives...
Nanko Well... I believe every man should have a woman and a home: with a grandmother, a grandfather, children... have a happy home.
Is that your case?
Nanko I'm working on it (laughs). I have to find a nice woman.
With success, it will perhaps be easier...
Nanko Maybe (laughs). To be honest, it's difficult because a lot of girls like me.
You have a lot of love songs, but more recently you developed a very different, harder style on the Sika riddim; is it a good vehicle for your message?
Nanko Sometimes you have to give people what they ask for. They like roots rock reggae, songs. Sometimes they want vibes, and I have some to give them. The Sika Riddim, that kind of song...
Are you working on your first album with Downsound?
Nanko Yes, we're working on it. But above all we don't want to give people hastily made music. We want to take our time and deliver good music to people.
Are you happy with your work with Downsound?
Nanko I'm more than satisfied. They do their job. Since I've been with Downsound, I've been much more exposed. So I'm learning a lot; it's good to work with them.
Do you have an exclusive contract with Downsound, or can you record at other studios as you please?
Nanko Josie (Joseph Bogdanovich, the boss of Downsound Records) has given me permission to work with other studios, but not too much.
You have played many concerts in the United States and the Caribbean. How was the audience's reception?
Nanko I went to the French Caribbean, to Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana... The applause was almost unexpected. Because people don't really speak English. They sang the song word for word, it was surprising.
Do you know that Lucky you has already been covered in French?
Nanko Yes! When I went to Guadeloupe, I think, they played it to me. But I didn't get the chance to get hold of the CD.
I think I heard a Spanish version too. What do you think of all these covers?
Nanko I see them as an opportunity for my song to reach even more people. When I was young, there was this song, La Lambada. We didn't understand the lyrics and that song was such a success... Having my song translated is one of my dreams. It shows that people love music.
What are your plans?
Nanko We are working so that as many people as possible know Nanko and his music, and appreciate it.
We try to stay "up to date" with new technologies. With the new mobile phones, people can download a song or a video straight onto their phone. We are working on all of that.
We try to stay "up to date" with new technologies. With the new mobile phones, people can download a song or a video straight onto their phone. We are working on all of that.
Comments (6)
atahualpa · · rating: 5 out of 5
fatima · · rating: 5 out of 5
continu comme sa nanko !
nanko 2 · · rating: 5 out of 5
hgf · · rating: 5 out of 5
gg · · rating: 5 out of 5
Dee Ali · · rating: 5 out of 5