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Marvin Gaye ‘Greatest Hits Live in ‘76’ Available on Vinyl and CD January 27, 2023

Eric Alper
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Marvin Gaye ‘Greatest Hits Live in ‘76’ Available on Vinyl and CD January 27, 2023

The music of Marvin Gaye transcends time in ways that can’t be described. From relatable songs about romance and heartbreak like “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” to socially conscious meditations “What’s Going On” and “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)”, his music continues to resonate across generations.

One of the most soulful, celebrated voices and songwriters in music history, Marvin Gaye cemented a legacy as a trailblazer in R&B and beyond. His lush arrangements, irresistible grooves, and silky smooth yet emotive vocal delivery earned him 12 Grammy nominations, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. However, the true magic of Gaye’s music was his ability to weave emotion or deep socio-political commentary into melodies and harmonics that, sonically, left the listener feeling good, no matter what the sentiment behind the lyrics – a rare feat that is truly difficult to achieve.

Captured on Marvin Gaye: Greatest Hits Live In ‘76, these songs, which were originally released on DVD in 2007, are now available as a standalone audio release for the first time. The set will be released on vinyl and CD on January 27, 2023 by Mercury Studios.

Marvin Gaye: Greatest Hits Live In ‘76 was recorded in the midst of his 1976 European tour, during a live performance at the Edenhalle Concert Hall in Amsterdam. The 20+ song set features an abundance of Marvin Gaye’s beloved hit songs, spanning his entire career up until that point.

These powerful songs are a wonder to experience live and are beautifully presented on Marvin Gaye: Greatest Hits Live In ‘76.

Track Listing
Vinyl
Side A:
1. All The Way Around
2. Come Get To This
3. Let’s Get It On
4. Ain’t That Peculiar
5. You’re A Wonderful One
6. Stubborn Kind Of Fellow
7. Pride And Joy
8. Little Darling (I Need You)
9. I Heard It Through The Grapevine
10. Hitch Hike
11. You
12. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby
13. How Sweet ItIs (To Be Loved By You)
Side B:
1. Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
2. What’s Going On
3. Save The Children
4. You’re All I Need To Get By
5. Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing
6. Heaven Must Have Sent You
7. It Takes Two
8. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
9. Distant Love
CD:
1. All The Way Around
2. Since I Had You
3. Come Get To This
4. Let’s Get It On
5. Ain’t That Peculiar
6. You’re A Wonderful One
7. Stubborn Kind of Fellow
8. Pride And Joy
9. Little Darling (I Need You)
10. I Heard It Through The Grapevine
11. Hitch Hike
12. You
13. Too Busy Thinking About My Baby
14. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
15. Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)
16. What’s Going On
17. Save The Children
18. You’re All I Need To Get By
19. Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing
20. Heaven Must Have Sent You
21. It Takes Two
22. Ain’t No Mountain High Enough
23. Distant Lover

Nickelback and Tate McRae to appear at the 2023 JUNO Awards

Eric Alper
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Nickelback and Tate McRae to appear at the 2023 JUNO Awards

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) revealed during a press conference at Rogers Place in Edmonton, future home of the 2023 JUNO Awards, that Nickelback and Tate McRae will take the stage in their home province of Alberta when the show comes to town on Monday, March 13.

For the first time in 19 years, The JUNO Awards will return to the province’s capital city for the 52nd iteration of the annual ceremony. The show produced by Insight Productions, will broadcast and stream live across Canada at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, CBC Listen, and globally at CBCMusic.ca/junos and CBC Music’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages.

Fan favourite JUNO Week events including JUNO Fan Fare, JUNO Cup Presented by CBC Sports and JUNO Songwriters’ Circle Presented by SOCAN, in association with Music Publishers Canada, will also make a return in 2023.

TD Bank Group (TD) presale for The 2023 JUNO Awards Broadcast runs today until November 16 at 11:59 p.m. MT. Tickets to The 2023 JUNO Awards go on sale to the general public on November 18. They start at $49.00 (including tax plus fees) and are available at ticketmaster.ca/junos.

“We are ecstatic for the JUNOS to be returning to Edmonton after nearly two decades,” said Councillor Tim Cartmell. “The festivities are a chance to celebrate the city’s vibrant music scene and the exceptional talent that calls the region home.”

“Year-after-year, it brings us great pride to see Canadian talent come together for JUNO Week and this year’s festivities in Edmonton will be no exception,” said Allan Reid, President & CEO, CARAS/The JUNO Awards. “We can’t wait to show you what else we have brewing in the weeks and months to come.”

“Albertans are proud Canadians and we want to showcase our beautiful province and culture to Canada and the rest of the world,” said Nate Glubish, Minister of Technology and Innovation, and MLA for Strathcona – Sherwood Park. “That is why Alberta’s government is supporting our music industry and economy by helping bring the 2023 JUNO Awards to Edmonton. Hosting the JUNO Awards in Edmonton will highlight Alberta’s vibrant culture and thriving music industry to the world by celebrating the arts and the artists who dedicate their skills and talent to making world-class music.”

Globally renowned rock act Nickelback were unveiled today as the recipient of this year’s prestigious Canadian Music Hall of Fame honour, presented by the JUNOS’ Premier Sponsor, TD. A true testament to the music, talent and culture coming out of Alberta, the Hanna-raised, 12-time JUNO Award winners will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame live on the Broadcast at Rogers Place during a special performance reflecting on their 20+ year career in music. One of the top-selling acts of all time, the band’s continuously growing list of achievements includes more than 10 billion streams, 50 million albums sold worldwide, 12 consecutive sold out tours and countless chart-topping hits including “How You Remind Me,” “Photograph” and “Rockstar.” They were also the second best-selling foreign act of the 2000’s in the U.S., behind only The Beatles. Nickelback will debut their long-awaited tenth studio album, titled Get Rollin’ on November 18, 2022.

Nickelback’s performance on the Broadcast will be their sixth time playing on the show, having previously taken the stage in Newfoundland (2002), Edmonton (2004), Halifax (2006), Vancouver (2009) and Ottawa (2012). More information on Nickelback’s involvement at this year’s show can be found here.

Also performing on the Rogers Place stage will be Calgary native and four-time JUNO nominee, Tate McRae. With over 4.7 billion streams, 765 million video views, a #1 Top 40 hit and multiple #1 Dance hits, McRae has amassed major commercial success globally in only a few short years, with top-tier talent like Charlie Puth, Finneas and Greg Kurstin on her list of collaborators. She was heralded as the youngest musical artist to ever be included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2021 at the young age of 18 and was previously nominated for a People’s Choice Award, three 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards, and a 2022 Billboard Music Award.

Also announced was the recipient of next year’s Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award, renowned country music manager and promoter, Ron Sakamoto. With more than five decades of industry experience under his belt, Ron is being recognized for his significant contributions to music and the artists who create it, both nationally and globally. Born and raised in Coaldale, Alberta, his lasting career has earned him close to 50 national and international accolades, including Talent Buyer or Promoter of the Year’ Award from the Canadian Country Music Awards for 17 consecutive years. A longtime collaborator of Canadian superstar Shania Twain, having brought to life her first world tour, “The Come on Over Tour” in 1998, Ron has represented some of the biggest names in music, including The Guess Who, Bryan Adams, Bee Gees, KISS, Keith Urban and more. Most recently, Ron and his company the Sakamoto Agency launched Sakamoto Music – a country music-focused label distributed by Warner Music that is designed to help foster the next generation of Canadian talent.

Ron will receive the prestigious Walt Grealis Special Achievement honour at the 2023 JUNO Opening Night Awards Presented by Music Canada on Saturday, March 11. For the full announcement on this year’s award recipient, click here.

Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award recipient Ron Sakamoto

From Thursday, March 9 through Monday, March 13, 2023, the city of Edmonton will come alive with JUNO Week programming, marked by the return of signature events such as:
• JUNO Fan Fare
• The JUNO Comedy Show Presented by SiriusXM Canada
• JUNO Songwriters’ Circle Presented by SOCAN and FACTOR in association with Music Publishers Canada
• JUNO Cup Presented by CBC Sports
JUNOfest Presented by CBC Music is also taking to the streets during JUNO Weekend. The three-day music festival will fill more than 10 venues across the city with local musical talent and 2023 JUNO Award nominees.

Tickets for The 2023 JUNO Awards start at $49.00 (including tax plus fees) and are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.ca/junos.

My Next Read: “Record Store Day: Ushering in the Most Improbable Comeback of the 21st Century” By Larry Jaffee

Eric Alper
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My Next Read: “Record Store Day: Ushering in the Most Improbable Comeback of the 21st Century” By Larry Jaffee

Record Store Day: the Most Improbable Comeback of the 21st Century provides the official inside story on how Record Store Day managed to revive the vinyl format from oblivion over the past fifteen years with some of the biggest artists jumping at the chance to sup-port independent record stores. This alliance and renewed camaraderie between artists and record stores set in motion the world’s largest annual music event: Record Store Day.

The voices of numerous artists, record store owners, and the creators of Record Store Day take the reader from this phenomenon’s shaky beginnings through the crisis of 2020, illustrating how record stores went from irrelevance to irrevocably changing the music industry forever.

Record Store Day is sure to appeal to record collectors who line up the night before in a quest to snare limited-edition collectibles on vinyl, while capturing the important role that independ-ent record stores play in their communities.

Award-Winning Jazz Songstress Mary Lou Sicoly Puts a Smooth, Sweet Spin on ’70s Classic “September”

Eric Alper
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Award-Winning Jazz Songstress Mary Lou Sicoly Puts a Smooth, Sweet Spin on ’70s Classic “September”

Just like the languid last days of summer can make you nostalgic for all the good times shared, the warm memories that a favourite song from our youth brings to the surface can make us long to relive those days as well. JUNO nominated Canadian jazz vocalist Mary Lou Sicoly knows the power of that feeling very well and celebrates a personal connection with the music and music makers of ‘70s supergroup Earth, Wind & Fire with her smooth, sweet take on their nostalgia-fueled classic “September.”

The sixth single from her delectable debut album “Lemon Meringue Pie”, Sicoly’s “September” trades the punchy horns and high energy groove of the original for a more laid-back tempo and a vibey keyboard melody line supporting her sparkling lead vocal. Sicoly’s “September” is dreamier than dance-y, amping up the nostalgia and underlining the song’s “do you remember” focal point.

Re-making this classic in her own style was paramount for Sicoly, especially because of a wonderful personal connection she made with Earth, Wind & Fire themselves.

“The backstory for this song is quite exciting to me,” offers Sicoly. “I’ve always been a fan of Earth, Wind & Fire and lucky for me, my Musical Director, John Ebata is a personal friend of Myron McKinley, the musical director for this fabulous band.

That single degree of separation helped pave the way for a special meeting between Sicoly and E, W & F. “A few months before we finalized the songs for “Lemon Meringue Pie”, I had an opportunity to attend a concert and enjoy a backstage visit with members of the band including Myron, indeed one of the highlights of my music career!”

So, when it came time for Sicoly and Ebata to deep dive into recording her debut album, E, W & F’s “September” was an obvious, if jitter-inducing choice.

“John assured me that we would do a more laid back, jazzified version of the song, which was already quite daunting for me,” explains Sicoly. “And then I thought about what the song was saying, how it painted memories, great memories that often sustain us as the years pass. With that story in mind and John’s brilliant arrangement to enhance the style of the tune, it was a unanimous choice for the album.”

Released last April, Lemon Meringue Pie lines up 10 delicious, hand-picked classics that Sicoly and Ebata have added their own secret sauce to. From the American Songbook standard “Blame It On My Youth” to Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind, to Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time”, this dynamic duo puts their experienced, innovative stamp on a batch of well-known and loved songs.

Lemon Meringue Pie may be Sicoly’s debut jazz album but that’s just the latest accomplishment in a career that has seen some wonderful milestones so far for the Toronto-based singer/songwriter. She has written and recorded five children’s albums, including the JUNO nominated Chase a Rainbow. Sicoly, Ebata and Nova Scotian vocalist Mark Riley also recently toured a “classic duets” album. Additionally, Sicoly, Ebata and Dora Award winning multi-instrumentalist, composer and vocalist Waleed Abdulhamid released “Canvas” on October 21st, the first single from their upcoming equity, diversity and inclusion album project called “Songs For Humanity.”

“‘Canvas’ is a metaphor for the people of the earth, who together create a rich panorama of shapes and colours to ‘give our souls the wings to soar’, expressed as “flying” and sung in English, Italian, Hindi, Swedish and Urdu,” explains Sicoly.

Sharing the educational foundations of music is also a big part of Sicoly’s career. An esteemed music educator, she’s a recipient of the CARAS (JUNO) Award for Music Education, a TVOntario Award for Innovation in Music Education and was the 1999 recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence. A presenter at several education conferences, Sicoly has also toured the Arctic with “Strings Across the Sky”, leading music camps in Tuktoyaktuk and Iqaluit.

From singing with her dad’s dance band in Sault Ste. Marie to jingles and commercial spots, to performing in various solo, ensemble and big band shows everywhere from the CNE to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Mary Lou Sicoly has years of diverse and exciting performances behind her and ahead of her too. A recent tour of Ontario and the Maritimes in support of Lemon Meringue Pie saw Sicoly and Ebata share the pure joy of their brand of jazz that goes down smooth and warm, any time of year.

For Sicoly, it all starts with the songs she chooses to make her own, including her newest release. “The storytelling attributes of a song are the main drawing card when I’m looking for material to record and perform and this song has it abundantly.”

Alt.Rockers James Blonde Capture the Healing Magic and Allure of a Night Out with “Back To Life”

Eric Alper
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Alt.Rockers James Blonde Capture the Healing Magic and Allure of a Night Out with “Back To Life”

Niagara Falls-based alt-rockers James Blonde encapsulate the restorative magic and magnetic appeal of the nightlife with their new single “Back To Life” – available now. Because no matter how dull and lackluster – or depressed and lifeless – one might temporarily feel, everyone knows that the best cure is a well-timed night out.

Kicking off with pulsing waves of electronic sound, “Back To Life” is a stomping, guitar-heavy groove that’s bound to energize pretty much anyone as the song describes a life-giving scene in a bar with a live band. It’s pop and dance-y, but also jagged and edgy, and James Blonde are here to ease you in the atmosphere:

You may have come just for the beer
But you’re staying alive now the gangs all here
So get in close; feel what you hear
And tell your friends there’s no one you’d rather cheer
They know that

The chorus is the simple earworm of “You bring me back to life,” and we begin to understand that the song is not only about going out and hearing some life-giving music, but also basking in the company of the one you love – “We may have had a messy year/ You brought me be back from what I once feared/ But now we’re back, we’re in the clear/ Let’s make tonight the one that won’t disappear.”

“Back to Life” is merely one single (the first!) from a forthcoming LP due out this winter. It’s the latest project in a flurry of activity for the band, who over the last two years released five new singles they recorded with JUNO-winning producer Gus Van Go while writing the album.

“So, which one of you is James Blonde?” is the question the band gets all the time. The answer is quite simple: ALL THREE of them – Phil, Steph, and Neil – who comprise the entity that is James Blonde. Making their grand entrance onto the music scene in their hometown of Niagara Falls on NYE 2017, their first concert as James Blonde entailed opening for Sam Roberts Band and Serena Ryder. Following their full-length, self-titled release in 2017, the lead single “Heartbreak” was picked up by major Spotify playlists and Starbucks, which added the song to its in-store radio across the globe. “Sh!tshow”, the band’s follow-up single in 2019, reached #96 on the US Top 40 chart.

Taking influence from bands such as Muse, Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Billy Talent, and MGMT, James Blonde does a perfect job at taking their listeners on an emotional journey through the subtle weaving of confessional songwriting, high-octane rock guitar, electric pop groove, and funky bass, as well as some old-fashioned soul with insanely precise musicianship.

Montreal Full-On Rockers YOUR EX AND I Release Debut Single “For All the Loves”

Eric Alper
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Montreal Full-On Rockers YOUR EX AND I Release Debut Single “For All the Loves”

Your Ex And I are a band in it for the right reasons. The Montreal-based rock group comprises five pals with very positive musical chemistry poised to explode on the scene with the debut single, “For All the Loves.”

The mysterious comrades in Your Ex And I, comprised of frontman/keyboardist Danny, lyricist Gor, bassist Guillaume, guitarist Frank, and drummer Simon, have all paid their dues playing and working in musical fields and are suitably realistic about their motives and goals.
“We are not kids dreaming in technicolor,” said Danny. “We came together with the right people and the right vibe, so it was ‘let’s all have fun with this.”

It’s that approach that organically expanded as the band realized the strength of the material they were creating. After intensive rehearsals, recording sessions followed at La Salle des Machines, Simon’s East Montreal, a studio filled with vintage analog gear, tape decks, and tube pre-amps.

“When we started jamming and rehearsing around 2018,” said Danny. “We weren’t planning an album, but the more we worked together, the more people heard our tunes and said, ‘Guys, you have to release this.’”

Your Ex And I recruited top producer/engineer Pierre Duchesne to mix their self-produced tracks. The result is a high fidelity and radio-ready wall of sound that is dark yet danceable, polished but never too slick. Opening with insistent piano, the dynamic cut integrates interlocking synths and guitars that give it an ‘80s British synth-rock feel, while Danny’s dramatic vocals explore the moments at the end of an affair.

“For All the Loves” will accompany an eye-catching video that incorporates footage from the German horror film Nosferatu, a classic that turns 100 this year.

“We had a low budget, so we needed to find something in the public domain that was royalty-free,” said Danny. “Gor pushed for Nosferatu for the video. He spent countless hours chopping up footage to fit with all the lyrics.”

The material on the forthcoming Your Ex And I EP contains an irresistible mix of melody and muscle. Two more singles from the upcoming debut EP will be released in February, with more tracks released later in 2023. The combination of ’80s synth lines, fat bass hooks, driving indie rock guitars, and skillful use of both vintage analog and modern instruments and recording gear will reaffirm the potential of a band with a coherent and compelling sound and vision.

THEMUSEUM Secures Third And Final Canadian Stop For Rolling Stones | UNZIPPED

Eric Alper
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THEMUSEUM Secures Third And Final Canadian Stop For Rolling Stones | UNZIPPED

After a successful run in London, New York, Sydney and Tokyo, The Rolling Stones | UNZIPPED international tour will roll into Halifax’s Steele Wheels Motor Museum for a three-month run.

The Rolling Stones | UNZIPPED will be on display at Steele Wheels in Halifax from Dec. 17 to March 19 before returning home to London, England.

“We are excited to have secured the Canadian rights to The Rolling Stones | UNZIPPED tour, and I can’t think of a more deserving city than Halifax to host the final stop on the tour! Their proximity to all Atlantic Canada and the great team at Steele Wheels will make this a huge success,” said David Marskell, CEO THEMUSEUM, Kitchener.

“Steele Wheels is the newest event space in Nova Scotia and ultimately will become the Steele Wheels Motor Museum. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to first host the world-class exhibition UNZIPPED to help kick off our space,” said Rob Steele, CEO Steele Wheels.

As the first international exhibition by and about The Rolling Stones, UNZIPPED provides visitors with the opportunity to relive the cultural phenomenon of the world’s greatest rock band and experience their legacy as the band that built rock and roll. The exhibition boasts more than 300 original objects from the Stones’ personal collection, including a realistic reconstruction of their Chelsea flat ‘Edith Grove.’ Along with instruments and stage designs, rare audio fragments, video footage, personal diaries, iconic costumes, posters, and album covers, the exhibition concludes with a mind-blowing three-dimensional Rolling Stones concert for visitors to experience.

In the Rolling Stones’ 60-year journey, the band has produced 30 studio albums, 33 live albums, 29 compilation albums and 32 box sets. The band was ranked second on Billboard magazine’s “Greatest Artists of All Time” and fourth on Rolling Stones magazine list of “Greatest Artists.” The Rolling Stones was one of the first bands to write their own music, which combined inspiration from blues, pop, and rock. Throughout the decades, the band has continued to evolve and release new music that continues to inspire artists today.

The immersive exhibit will run Sunday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday, Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. beginning Dec. 17, 2022, with the last ticket of the day available for purchase an hour before closing time.

Introducing Nonso Amadi | DSCVR Artists To Watch 2023

Eric Alper
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Introducing Nonso Amadi | DSCVR Artists To Watch 2023

“Travel turns you into a storyteller” goes the old adage, and these wise words epitomize the artistry of Nonso Amadi. As a college student, the Nigerian-born singer/songwriter/producer’s first adventure was a move from his home country to the UK. As music nudged its way to the forefront of his life, this restless Mary J. Blige and Paul Play fan ultimately settled in Canada, where Toronto’s influential R&B scene provided fertile ground for deeper artistic growth. Ultimately, Nonso’s globetrotting helped nurture his core goal: to fuse Western groove music with trad African sounds, rhythms, and vibes. “I want to make great songs that tell my story,” says the “Tonight” singer. That irresistible 2016 track got passed around in Afro-R&B circles, its gauzy synths, delicate dembow riddim, and celestial vocals crafting a template for Nonso’s future output. As the decade ended, Afropop and Alté had reached a groundswell in Nigeria. Nonso’s name was in lots of mouths back home. His ‘Free’ EP fueled the fire. Tracks such as “No Crime” and “What Makes You Sure?” emphasized lyrical honesty and softly-woven textures. Afrobeats titan Mr. Eazi hopped on “Go Outside” further cementing Nonso’s cred. By 2020, he had racked up more than 100 million streams across music platforms. Wisely, he has guided his ascent on the other side of the Atlantic with tranquility and deliberateness. “I’ve always wanted to be a bridge connecting African music and to the rest of the world,” he said about the importance of being part of our Artists to Watch 2023 class. When Nonso tells his stories, you can’t help but stop what you’re doing and listen.

Jimi Hendrix Plays On TV For The First Time With Buddy and Stacy In 1965

Eric Alper
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Jimi Hendrix Plays On TV For The First Time With Buddy and Stacy In 1965

Here’s Jimi Hendrix making his television debut in 1965 on the Night Train show in Nashville while playing backup guitar for Buddy and Stacy, performing a cover of Junior Walker‘s Shotgun.

Reggae Legends Serani and Gyptian Bring Heat With Debut Dancehall Party Anthem “She Got It”

Eric Alper
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Reggae Legends Serani and Gyptian Bring Heat With Debut Dancehall Party Anthem “She Got It”

We may be barreling towards winter, but Gyptian and Serani are still dropping heat to keep you dancing with their newest dancehall smash hit, “She Got It.”

Smooth reggae guitar licks and heartfelt dancehall rhythms keep fans coming back for more as these Billboard-charting reggae connoisseurs debut their newest single produced by Trizo of Konsequence Muzik and distributed by ONErpm Afro-Caribbean.

“She Got It” is a feel-good banger meant to infect listeners with inescapable urges to dance and pull a partner close. The composition and production of Gyptian and Serani’s work is professional at best, with “She Got It” serving as proof that you can mix business and pleasure.

“The beat sounded happy and Gyptian and I went straight to vibing,” Serani recalls as he looks back on the production process. “We went in the studio with a direct plan to make a song for our fans. We thought it be great doing a happy party song for them.

The group worked alongside Tahj Chief engineer at Konsequence Studio, who provided the foundation upon which Gyptian and Serani crafted a seemingly perfect party anthem.

Gyptian talks about the group’s time together, saying “Tahj Chief engineer was in the studio working on a beat; just a regular night doing music when a few ideas started coming to him. It wasn’t long before Platinum recording artist Serani walked in on the session.”

Gyptian continues his praises for Serani, saying “We all know he’s no stranger to productions, so we asked for his input towards the beat. From there the rest is history.”

While Gyptian and Serani’s chemistry together is undeniable, the two have prolific music careers.

Gyptian was born Windel Beneto Edwards in King Weston district in the parish of St. Andrew. Driven by his parents to pursue his passion for music, Gyptian was sharpened his vocal skills at small concerts. Gyptian first stepped into the limelight with the release of his 2005 mega hit, “Serious Times, making it as the biggest reggae hit of 2005/2006. Gyptian was nominated as Best New Reggae Artist and Named World Music Awards held at New York City’s legendary Apollo Theater.

At home, Gyptian was cited as the Best New Artist of 2005 by the Jamaica Observer newspaper, and “Serious Times” tied with Damian Marley’s “Welcome to Jamrock” for the Daily’s Song of the Year honors.

Gyptian has released other smashing hits such as “Keep Your Calm,” “I Can Feel Your Pain,” and “Love Against The Wall.” Driven by a desire to bring back the reggae market, saying “Since the Bob Marley days, no reggae artist really go out and sell a million copies. So, I am trying to bring life back to reggae music – Bob Marley was just a man like me so I use him as a landmark for what I am trying to achieve.”

Craig Serani Marsh, known professionally as Serani, was born in Kingston Jamaica. Serani’s musical journey started as a child when his mother bought him a melodica, known as “the blown organ,” after he was influenced by Reggae legend Augustus Pablo.

Serani found success in the Jamaican music scene during the mid-2000s, co-producing hits such as Sean Paul’s Billboard-topping “We Be Burning” and Tony Matterhorn’s “Dutty Whine” – the head-spinning, waist-whining dance immortalized by Beyonce and arguably one of the internet’s first viral challenges.

Serani went on to oversee the production for Dancehall icon Mavado in the Gully God’s formative years. A duet with Mavado led to the release of “Dying,” a Dancehall smash that charted on Mavado’s debut album Gansta for Life: The Symphony of David Brooks. The song was also sampled for Drake’s mega-platinum album Views on the song “9.”

A slew of Dancehall staples such as “Skip to My LuLu,” “Doh,” “Study People” and “Stinking Rich” led to an album deal with JVC in Japan and quickly established Serani as one of Jamaica’s top acts, sending him to become a major player in the genre for the last decade.

It wasn’t long before Serani struck gold on his own as an artist with the timeless Dancehall classic “No Games,” his biggest hit to date. It crushed the Billboard Hit R&B/Hip-Hop chart and led to him signing with Universal Records before settling into a joint venture with Phase One Network, a New Your-based label. To this day, “No Games” is a constant feature across US clubs and radio, present on iTunes and Spotify curated playlists.

In 2019 Serani received another major career boost as his track “Secret” was featured on Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy for his album African Giant. It also featured US star Jeremih and continues to have stadiums singing the track word for word wherever Burna performs.

Serani is currently working on several albums across different genres. He is determined to see his career continue to grow.

“My mission is to really get the world looking at Jamaica and Dancehall Reggae music again in its indigenous form,” says the triple-threat singer/producer/musician. “My thing is to sing Jamaican music, but mix it with a little pop, a little urban, and help people understand what I’m saying.”

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That Eric Alper

Eric Alper is a 6-time nominee for Publicist of the Year during Canadian Music Week and has overseen the publicity campaigns for over 183 JUNO Award-nominated albums (and 16 in 2025), 45 Grammy-nominated albums, including 47 JUNO Award, 58 Canadian Folk Music Award, 126 Maple Blues Award-winning albums and is also truly honoured to work with some of the biggest and most important artists of our time.

Contact me: eric@thatericalper.com

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