Soaring Temperature

Clubs across the world played his tracks,deejays remixed Baby Boy and the ladies grooved to his ‘gangsta’ voice. The scene in Delhi and Mumbai was no different. Now,a decade later,Paul is all set to tour India to promote his fifth album Tomahawk Technique. “The album has been a rage in Europe and the US; now I want to see the reactions of my Indian fans. Indians have good taste in music,I must admit. What else does an artiste crave for,” remarks Paul about his maiden India tour,which begins on November 2 with a performance at Quantum in Noida.

It was his third album,The Trinity,in 2005 with smash hits such as Temperature,Give it up to me and We be burnin that inked him permanently on the music scene. “I have evolved as an artiste. I did everything I could have done in dancehall,it was now time to expand in terms of style and sound. For the new album,I’ve worked with new artistes and producers such as StarGate,Benny Blanco,Rico Love &DJ Ammo and got them to make dancehall from their perspective,” he says.

His rugged looks,braided hair,arched eyebrows and that “bad boy” swagger won him many fans and that’s why it is difficult to imagine that Paul was once a disciplined national-level athlete — a water polo player,to be precise. “I was just following the footsteps of my father and my grandfather,who were water polo players as well,and being an athlete is in my genes. But I had to give it up for my music career. One day,I just wanted to do it and was at it,and things turned around when producer Jeremy Harding heard about me having resemblance to the popular dancehall DJ,Super Cat,” explains Paul.

Ask him about his influences and he drops obvious names,thanks to his Jamaican genes. “I am Jamaican,my biggest influence has been my origin itself and artistes such as Alton Ellis,Bob Marley,Dennis Brown and Desmond Dekker,” he says.

And though Bollywood hasn’t come calling yet for his reggae tunes,Paul hopes to explore the folk musical traditions of India someday. “I am aware of AR Rahman who had been nominated for the Oscars. In the near future,if I could do dancehall music with an Indian singer and you never know,it could turn out to be the next big thing,” adds Paul. Before his tour begins,the Grammy-winner has a busy schedule. He says,“I have to meet designers and customise my jackets with some typical Indian zardozi work and I want to relish every Indian dish.”

Sean Paul will perform in Noida on November 2,in Mumbai on November 3 and in Bengaluru on November 4.

Tickets are available on http://www.kyazoonga.com