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Once rooted in the deep rhythms of roots-reggae, veteran artiste Bella Saw is now turning heads with a fresh, dancehall-infused sound that still carries the soul of his beginnings.

Rebranded and reignited, the east Kingston native is setting his sights on the international stage - but he's not abandoning his foundation.

Bella Saw earned his name back in the day because of his uncanny ability to mimic Tenor Saw's distinctive voice and style. But it wasn't long before he developed a voice of his own. Fast-forward a few decades, and Bella Saw is demonstrating that music is not static.

"Right now it's a total different thing but I keep drawing back di same old thing with a little new thing and see if di people dem wi love it," Bella Saw told THE STAR.

He is even experimenting with social media, applications that were unheard of when he first picked up a microphone.

"Mi try di TikTok ting and it work - it a tek it own likkle time a tek off," he said.

His musical journey includes stints with respected reggae groups such as Live and Mention and Mystic Revealers of Rastafari. And he has stayed true to the clean, conscious Rastafarian messages.

"Mi try fi duh music suh every can listen to it - even di Christian people - because it's words and from it's good words, people will listen to it," he said.

"Mi a guh always keep it clean enuh because mi pray to God every day when I was in mi sufferation and hard life and God gimmie dis breakthrough. Suh I'm not going to do anything fi God tek back dat blessing," Bella Saw added.

His recent tracks - including the catchy, romantic groove Am In Di Mood and the storytelling-driven Bad Girl - are helping him connect with a new generation of fans while staying grounded in purpose and principle.

He described Bad Girl as a true story, based on a experience from his youthful days.

"It was dis girl who I fall in love with - we were teenagers growing up and she was dem kinda hotty-hotty kinda girl deh. Mi was a likkle roots youth weh nuh inna di hotty-hotty business. Suh di more she a grow, mi get fi see how she act, and di song is the whole entire ting about how she flex," Bella Saw said.

He said the relationship did not work out because "she turn a bad girl", but insists the song is not about heartbreak.

Bella Saw has plans to release a follow-up track - Bad Girl Part 2 - which will dive deeper into the story and the lessons it holds, especially for young women growing up in tough environments.

And while the local buzz is building, Bella Saw is aiming much higher. Armed with his signature vocals, a renewed energy, and a deep love for clean, meaningful music, Bella Saw is determined to take his talent to the next level.

"Mi waah guh pon di international charts - like Maxi Priest and Bob Marley dem. Mi waah guh pon a higher level suh mi a guh start duh some international songs, and put out good, quality work," he said.

"Mi nuh really waah stick to di dancehall level, even though a it open up di whole thing for us, but mi waah guh pon a higher level ... and it takes good music and good riddim to get there," added the reinvigorated Bella Saw.