New sound, new music from Richie Spice


Talks healing, positivity and new album

IT has been about 10 years since Jamaican Reggae artiste Richie Spice has visited Guyana, having last performed in concert at the National Park alongside Macka Diamond and Ding Dong in 2007, but he remembers quite well the support he received from his Guyanese fans while there. And while the artiste is busy making the rounds promoting his most recent album ‘The Album,’ Richie Spice has said that Guyana may be due for a ‘refresher’ visit even as he seeks to promote his new sound.

The singer’s music has for years made its way on the playlists of many Guyanese parties, minibuses, cars and households over the years, with the lyrics of his well-known hits such as ‘Brown Skin’ and ‘Earth a run red’ being sung almost as an anthem by local fans.

In an exclusive interview with the Pepperpot Magazine, the Jamaican singer, who is currently on his ‘Healing Tour’ in Europe, said that he still remembers the love he received from Guyanese during his last visit. “I love the people in Guyana and I know the people in Guyana love me, because of their turnout when I was there and I know we have something going on… I will be seeing Guyana soon,” the artiste, whose real name is Richell Bonner, said.

But until we see him again, his focus continues to be on ‘The Album,’ which he believes his fans will love as its content is different from his previous work. “‘The Album’ shows growth… it shows a more developed Richie Spice,” he said. “My vocals have been developed, the production has been greater, it’s a lot of effort production wise and it has a different sound; a more mature sound.”

This new sound comes even as Richie acknowledges that Reggae music itself has undergone some changes over the years, but he is pleased with the direction in which it is going. “It made a great change and it is just stepping forward and we are giving thanks to youth who have been listening to the elders over the years,” he said. As for the younger reggae artistes, he encourages that they continue to work hard to contribute to the legacy of Reggae music. “Keep the music of the same trend and keep taking it to a different level. For me, I stay truthful to my music, because I am a very truthful person; life has been true to me so I am being true to life,” he said.

Richie Spice has, throughout his career — which spans over two decades — made a commitment to creating uplifting music; a commitment which, now more than ever, could be deemed useful given the oftentimes overwhelming waves of negativity perpetuated by social media and the internet. But, as part of the balance of life, Richie said that negative and positive messages go one with the other, but noted that the important thing is to ensure that the younger generation gravitates to the positive.

“The media is there for a purpose, so much good can come from it and it is so sad to know that people do bad things with it. I would say to the people right now: be positive in this time. There are so many things going on in the world right now that’s negative, but we can use the media in a positive way, so that positive things can come out of what they are saying for the younger generation and the people living around them and for society,” he said.

And so, he ensures that he does his part, especially since he is aware that a large number of his fans include young people. “I see [young people] attend my stage shows and just by seeing them attend the festivals and the shows it means that they are listening and are interested in what I am saying, so I can see that my work is going a far way,” he said.

The artiste said that he tries to ensure that while his music cannot reach everyone, there is a message in there for many groups, and that includes women as well. In fact, many of his songs, including ‘Brown Skin’– which currently has over 15 million views on YouTube — ‘Ghetto Girl’ and other tunes, are geared toward the appreciation of women.

“For me, writing songs and putting an album together to put out there, I have to mention the ladies. Me, myself, I love my mother, so it gives me that passion towards women,” he said. “So I always have to add the ladies in our package to send out there. I never try to sing about them in a discriminatory way to make them feel bad; I always try to put something nice together for them to put a smile on their faces.”

Richie Spice has quite some time remaining for his ‘Healing Tour’ and is expected to perform at the Overjam Festival in Slovenia; and the Sound Show in Geneva, Switzerland, on August 25 and 26. The tour will later take him to locations in Sweden, London, Germany, Switzerland, Prague, Austria, Germany and other destinations where he will take his new sound to his fans there as well.

And until we in Guyana do see him again, he encourages that Guyanese “keep focused and to stay strong as a nation.”

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