– Andrew Lamaison is on the rise

ANDREW Lamaison known as ‘One Dan’ can still remember his school days when he would ‘clash’ with students of other schools to see who would put on the better performance, usually during lunch breaks, and on some rare occasions, during school hours when there was no class.

Every chance he got, Andrew would be singing or performing something.

“Sometimes it would be in the classroom; sometimes at the back of a school. We just did it for the fun of it; for the hype and fame,” Andrew said.
And one day during stint in fourth form, he recalled how GT&T visited Uitvlugt Secondary, where he was a student, and took along local entertainers to tell their stories to the youths.

The entertainers themselves performed, after which they asked if there was anyone in the crowd who wanted to perform. At this point, Andrew’s friends began poking him to go on stage because they knew that if anyone was good enough to do it, it was be him.

Speaking with Buzz this week, Andrew, 18, reflected on how a cousin of his saw his talent and decided to introduce him to the owners of a studio. There, he recorded his first Christmas song, and several others would follow.

Since then, Andrew has developed the ability to write his own music; to be creative and certainly how to effectively entertain his fans. He has also developed a good relationship with his producer and those who make an impact on his music. “I’m thankful to Adrian Johnson and Jonathan Tailor for the great work they have done on my new single on ‘Frozen Riddim’ (Don’t Ever Leave),” Andrew expressed.

Currently, he’s working on his new single called ‘Gold Digger’ and has a new album in store called ‘One Dan.’ Andrew feels that the music industry in Guyana should focus equally on the various genres of music that are available instead of just on a select few. “It should give all genre of music the
same kind of support. There are several genres of music over here that hardly get the support from the music industry,” he offered.

He believes that the ‘Dancehall’ genre should especially be promoted on a more grandeur scale because it is the type of music that many people love. “It is a type of music that is used to express feelings. It fosters unity, helps us support each other, and also talks about things that people have been and are going through in life,” he said.

Andrew added that the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport can help push local artists in general by organising shows and enforcing copyright legislation so that Guyanese can be recognised not only in Guyana, but worldwide.

Although he has a ‘9 to 5’ job, Andrew said music is what he has always dreamt about and as such, plans to continue investing in it. He finds time for music on the weekends, after work, and even during his lunch breaks which he sometimes uses to write down lyrics for songs that would come to mind.

Andrew has had to cope with negativity from others but said he never allowed it to bring him down. “A lot of bad minded people didn’t want me to sing. They would judge me and say I can’t sing and that I wouldn’t make it, along with a set of things to bring me down. But after I recorded my songs and am becoming better, they have stopped,” he said.