adminJamaican musician I-Octane is set to perform at City Sports Centre in Harare on Saturday. The show will feature local musicians Winky D, Sniper Storm, Shinsoman, Soul Jah Love, Seh Calaz, Dadza D, Hwindi President, Kinna, Lady Squanda, Judgement Yard, Merciless Zim, Chillspot Records, Chipaz Sound, Templeman and Garry B, DJ Cables, DJ Smily, Fyah Lynx and Leny Matherhorn.
Chipaz Promotions are organising the Jamaican’s maiden tour of the country.
While the musician might be popular among young dancehall fans, other music followers might not know who I-Octane is.
How his career began
Before he became known to the world as I-Octane, young Byiome Muir (born April 29, 1984) was just another youth growing up in Sandy Bay, Clarendon with big dreams.
Now he is known for his uniquely powerful voice and spit-fire lyrics but before that he gained himself the reputation of being a noisy little boy who was constantly belting out a tune, much to the annoyance of his mother and siblings.
Young Byiome took this passion for music and singing to school and could always be found beating a rhythm on the desk and entertaining his classmates.
It wasn’t until he completed high school that Byiome really considered getting serious about his talent. By this time, a few people began to encourage him to take the plunge into the music industry.
He began performing under the name ‘Richie Rich’ and aided by his hardcore dancehall lyrics, it wasn’t long before he was introduced to famed producer Donovan Germaine of Penthouse Records.
Spending time at Penthouse and rubbing shoulders with more established artists such as Buju Banton and Tony Rebel gave Richie the opportunity to hone his talent and really decide where he wanted to go with his new career choice.
While working with Penthouse, he decided to change his name to something that better represented him.
The stage name I-Octane
He realised that high octane gas was known for it’s high energy and performance and knew immediately that this epitomised the type of performer he wanted to be.
He personalised it by substituting the ‘high’ for ‘I’, and so the name I-Octane was birthed. Three years after linking with Penthouse, I-Octane caught the interest of Arrows Recording Company.
Junior Arrows approached him and ended up signing him to the label.
This decision brought with it a lot of changes and Octane slowly began to make a name for himself.
He transitioned from dancehall music to a more cultural vibe and his first hit single ‘Stab Vampire’ cemented his position as a notable reggae artist. It seems that the success of ‘Stab vampire’ served as a catalyst to propel I-Octane forward.
After that song went to number one and received the award for Video of the Year at the Excellence in Music Awards (EME), I-Octane put out hit after hit, winning over skeptics and gaining many new fans. Song’s such as “Different Page”, “Hurt Mi” and ‘Mama You lone’ reverberated with people all over and as his reputation soared his fan base increased and the demands grew beyond the Jamaican soil.
I-Octane becomes a star
In no time I-Octane was performing to his international fan base on his first European tour.
Inevitably, he soon began to link with notable producers who were all clamouring to work with the young artist and his repertoire of hit songs broadened rapidly.
I-Octane is now an independent artist, having ended a partnership with Arrows Recordings. His catalogue continues to grow likewise his accolades and he has received numerous awards and nominations in recognition of his work.
After only a 5-year stint in the industry he began being compared to some of the legends in reggae and many industry professionals and corporate Jamaica are looking to him as the leader of the new generation of music.
As one of the most-talked about artists emerging from Jamaica, I-Octane’s first full-length LP “Crying to the Nation” put him saw him proving himself as a lyricist with rapid-fire delivery and unveiled his uncanny ability to sing romantic ballads and socially aware tunes on this traditional reggae album.‘Crying To The Nation’ put I-Octane in a class of his own as one of the next generation’s leaders of the conscious dancehall movement.
Following in a similar vein of his predecessors Sizzla, Capleton and Buju Banton, his lyrics express sentiments of faith, romance, social justice and compassion for the ghetto youth. His singles “L.O.V.E Y.O.U,” “Missing You” (remix featuring Agent Sasco) and “Once More” reflect his emotional sensibility, while songs like “Vanity Will Come,” “All We Need Is Love” (featuring Tarrus Riley) are filled with positive messages and political leanings, something that the current state of dancehall often lacks.
The making of his hits
He did pulsating dancehall anthems “No Love Inna Them” and “Puff It” as well as “Lose A Friend,” his most requested song to date. The latter tune hit number one on Jamaica’s charts – remaining at the top for approximately 16 weeks – and experienced new life again when Jamaican officials declared a state of emergency after Kingston’s gruesome gang-related attacks.
“Crying To The Nation” solidified his position as a multi-faceted reggae artist and prove his reach beyond dancehall.
I-Octane followed the album with a tour of the US, Canada, and Europe, and ended the year strong with a string of hit singles, including “Badmind Dem A Pree”, a collaboration with Bounty Killer produced by Buju Banton’s son Markus Myrie, the summer hit “Love Di Vibes”, and the Seanizzle-produced “Gal A Gimmi Bun”, a song in which I-Octane laments his partner’s infidelity.
In March 2013, I-Octane was selected as brand ambassador for the Caribbean soft drink Busta, a product of S M Jaleel and Company. His second album, the DJ Frass-produced “My Journey”, was released in March 2014 on Tad’s International Records.
He continued to work with DJ Frass on the 2015 EP “New Chapter”.
Even with his success to date, it is clear that Octane has just scratched the surface of all he is meant to achieve.
His music has captured the attention and hearts of people of every colour, creed and class and this artist has undoubtedly unleashed a fire that will eternally blaze.
– Arts Reporter/yardback.com
Online Reporter