In November of 2018, Reggae music officially became classified as an “intangible cultural heritage of humanity” by the United Nations, Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Originating from the city of Kingston, Jamaica the global impact of reggae music is unfathomable, having created musical icons such as Dennis Brown, Peter Tosh and Bob Marley. Reggae music has given many young musicians large platforms to achieve greatness for themselves. Most recently we have seen Grammy nominations for Chronixx and Protoje, young super stars from the Reggae Revival movement. As the genre continues to grow and attract the eyes and ears of the world, a new crop of stand-out artists have emerged and are making their presence felt.
In no particular order here are 10 Reggae artists to look out for in 2019 from CARIB VOXX.
Mortimer
Mortimer is a reggae vocalist full of soul and passion. He was featured on the track ‘Truths & Rights’ on Protoje’s Grammy-nominated album ‘A Matter A Time‘ as well as ‘Protection’ from the album ‘Ancient Future’. His most recent single ‘Careful’ was released in October of 2018 and was selected as one of Apple Music’s ‘Best of 2018’. Be sure to look out for what the Overstand Records artist comes with this year.
Koffee
Koffee delivered excellence in 2018. She inked a deal with major label Columbia Records UK, released the hit single ‘Toast’ which racked up over 5 million views on YouTube. With her singles ‘Burning’ and ‘Raggamuffin’ still in heavy rotation. The young singer ended the year on a high, being the closing act at Live From Kingston in December. We see things only getting bigger for Koffee in 2019 and we’re anxious to see what she does next.
Lila Ike
2018 showed us the lyrical diva that is Lila Ike. Her songs ‘Biggest Fan’, ‘Gotti Gotti’ and ‘Second Chance’ have been getting a lot of airplay she has been doing heavy promotional performances locally and abroad. The visuals for her single ‘Second Chance’ was released and has gotten over 300,000 views on YouTube. 2019 should be an even more fruitful year for Lila Ike.
Jane Macgizmo
Jane Macgizmo is a singer with a rough side. Her fusion of reggae, pop and dancehall is what makes her stand out. Songs like ‘Babylon’, ‘Too Late’ and most recently ‘One Away’ produced by Teflon. She is expected to be releasing her first body of work sometime in the near future.
Sevana
With one EP under her belt and following the release of her 2018 single ‘Justice’, Sevana gave us a summertime banger with ‘Sometime Love’ along with visuals. She also spent some time in 2018 touring in Europe with Romaine Virgo. She produces some of the sweetest melodies you will ever hear live and recorded. Expectations are high for Sevana in 2019 as her
Naomi Cowan
A musical all-rounder; she sings, writes and plays the guitar. Naomi Cowan had one of the biggest songs of 2018 with ‘Paradise Plum’ produced by Teflon Zinc Fence which topped the US Reggae chart. She performed at the 2018 staging of Reggae Sumfest and closed out the year with a performance at
T’Jean
If he is not producing or writing for other artists, he is working on his own songs. He is the son of one of Jamaica’s finest musical producers, Mikey Bennett. His faith in Rastafari is what influences his music and is evident in his most recent release, ‘Dry Bones’. His sound is fresh and his melodious delivery of potent lyrics is a reason to look forward to whatever work he is set to release in 2019.
Samory I
Ever since the release of his debut album ‘Black Gold’, Samory I has been hard at work. Touring heavily in Europe and performing at Rototom Sunsplash, the biggest reggae festival in the world. He has not slowed down, since recently he started doing more frequent shows in Jamaica. Most recently he released a single titled ‘Feeling’ produced by Rory Stone Love in December. To date, his biggest release is ‘Rasta Nuh Gangsta’ with over 3.7 million YouTube views.
Blvk H3ro
Set to be releasing a project titled ‘Immortal Steppa’ this February,
5 Star
His lyrical depth is on overload and his flows are guaranteed to cause the listener to pay close attention. 5 Star is one DJ who takes pride in the messages he puts in his songs. He has released the singles ‘Warn Dem’, ‘3rd Eye Open’, ‘Lightning Storm’ produced by Kabaka Pyramid and was featured on ‘Well Firm’ by Green Lion Crew. This artist is not to be played with or ignored and is most definitely one to watch in 2019.
