Shaggy: ‘I’m criticised for not being authentically Jamaican’
It’s a warm Wednesday afternoon and Shaggy and I meet at London’s Langham hotel.
Despite being born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, he quips: ‘You guys aren’t equipped to deal with this heat. It’s too hot.’
The reggae icon, real name Orville Richard Burrell, sat down to tell Metro all about his global chart-topping success, staying true to his Jamaican roots, and his unlikely friendship with Sting.
People are always amazed at Shaggy’s spoken voice, that it could possibly be any different from the patois-inflected baritone on the likes of Mr. Boombastic and his other hit songs.
But there’s a reason for that.
‘It’s down to military marching cadences. I used to come out and sing imitating the German drill instructors. It just stayed like that. I have two completely different voices, but it works,’ he tells us.
‘I get criticised for it a lot, even when I do music I don’t do it in the same way my peers would. Criticised for not being as authentically Jamaican. Half of the people who judge me have never been to Jamaica. I live in Kingston, I was born in Jamaica, I was raised in Jamaica. So, I don’t think there’s anyone more authentic than me. I just move a little differently.’
The singer, 57, who was awarded the Jamaican Order of Distinction with the rank of Commander in 2007, says there’s a common misconception about how Jamaican he is.
I just move a little differently
‘I took a different approach when I was doing music, I didn’t dress in red, green, and gold, I don’t smoke weed, I don’t have dreadlocks, I don’t speak in my native dialect all the time,’ he explains.
‘I wouldn’t have got on certain platforms otherwise. I would have been discriminated against. It used to be that people would automatically look down on you because you have an accent. But the way I’ve approached it has served me well,’ he says.
And served him well it has, with two Grammys and two Billboard Music Awards under his belt, as well as an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Brown University.
He even counts some pretty famous faces as fans of his music.
‘Michael Jackson told me he loved It Wasn’t Me and asked me if I wrote the lyrics. I said yes and he replied: “It sounds like something I would write!”’
‘Prince Harry also said he was a fan when he came to Jamaica. My daughter was with me when we met but was very disappointed that he wasn’t on a horse like a real prince,’ he tells us.
Having worked with so many big names in the music industry, including Robin Thicke, Ne-Yo, and Rayvon, Shaggy revealed the reason for opting out of the chance to work with another huge artist – Rihanna.
Michael Jackson told me he loved It Wasn’t Me
‘They asked me to make some songs and see what she would like, but I wanted the experience of being in the studio with Ri. I’ve known her from when she just started, I’ve seen her growth,’ he explained.
‘She’s iconic, but if I’m going to create with her, let’s do it together. Sending records in feels like you’re auditioning. So, I just didn’t feel like doing that.’
But he is working with one of the biggest names in music this year, Sting.
Shaggy is set to head to the West End to star in The Last Ship, an original musical with music and lyrics by the Police star.
‘I’m looking forward to sitting down and having cocktails with my brother,’ he laughs.
‘He’s the guy that pushes me to do things that I’m uncomfortable with doing. He helps me to find comfort outside of my comfort zone. We have a friendship that we never thought that we would have. We go out of our way to connect.’
Shaggy’s new album, Lottery, is out now. He appears in Sting’s The Last Ship at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 22 and 23 September.
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