ÐÓ°ÉÐÔ°É

After years of performing cover versions of songs from international R&B artistes, local dancehall-fusion entertainer, Sliq One, discovered his own unique sound which saw him creating his own melody and flow.

It's a smooth "versatile" transition that he believes will make him a global standout in music.

"Even though a dancehall mi come a duh, mi music ago have dah fusion deh and mi neva know which odda genre mi ago catch on to and have a next flow. As mi learn supm new, mi mix it with weh mi have fi mek everything better. Suh right now mi a fuse di dancehall wid di R&B and di rap as well as doing trap-dancehall and reggae same way. Depends on di type a beat weh mi get, a dat deh vibes mi come off wid," he said.

He's confident that he will be a standout artiste despite other aspiring acts possessing the same level of versatility.

"People always seh mi sound different - mi nuh sound like nobody else and mi nuh try fi sound like nobody else - mi a be Sliq One. Suh even if it tek mi longer, a just Sliq One mi waah be," he said. Sliq One added that his other qualities, such as being an "ambitious go-getter", will help him to climb to international heights.

"Mi know seh mi want some collab weh no regular artiste ago get, suh mi affi jus duh dis thing right. Mi also very focused when it comes on to mi music and mi song writing is very [intentional]. Mi nuh just get up and write anything, mi pree wah type a people ago consume dis and dat also mek mi different, because mi seh dis can bring me international because mi think bout di listeners," the Perseverance artiste said. While hoping to be recognised by international rapper/producer, DJ Khaled, Sliq One also draws his inspirations from superstars such as Justin Bieber, Usher, Masicka, Vybz Kartel, Tommy Lee Sparta and Bob Marley.

Being a former drummer in church, and a popular performer at Green Pond High School, Sliq One said music was always a part of his everyday life.

"Mi uncle always a seh 'Den if yuh sing people song like dat, why not sing your own?' Suh mi tek it into consideration and start write some songs and di people dem start seh 'You a di maddest ting' and gas mi up and everything, suh wi just roll wid di motivation and see weh mi deh now," Sliq One shared with a laugh.

Born and raised in Montego Bay, St James, the singer said he recently relocated to Kingston to "connect more with the people and seek better musical opportunities with other recording labels". Sliq One, whose given name is Keniel Armstrong, said his moniker was coined after scanning the dictionary, searching for a meaningful name.

"Suh mi see di word 'slick' suh mi a seh 'Mi lyrics dem slick enuh and mi tone of voice slick because it well organised' and mi just seh a 'Sliq One' di thing deh and wi just work wid it," he explained.

Though football was his first love and he hoped to pursue it as a career, an injury derailed that dream. Steadily honing his musical craft for seven years as a professional, he said he is grateful for the network of people who are currently driving his career in the right direction. But he admitted that his earlier years in music were difficult in terms of garnering "connections, resources and even getting booked". He said his first official track, Fake People which was produced by Damage Musiq, put him in the spotlight and garnered attention from other established musicians and even promoters from Trinidad and Tobago.

Since then, he has produced several bangers such as True Legend and Better Days and his most recent "catchy song fi di summer", All These Stars. However, the artiste said his most successful song thus far is his reggae/dancehall single titled, Stronger Than Before.

"[In this song,] mi a think bout di past and weh mi a come from and mi a think bout the mistakes dem weh mi mek and how mi conquer the mistakes dem in going forward. Suh mi a seh yuh know mi stronger than before fi real because some mistakes weh mi used to mek before mi realise mi naah dweet again," he expressed.

Sliq One hopes to be a "concrete artiste, achieving international greatness" while making connections with some of the major overseas talents.