Making hits in the Washroom
THREE years after it was established, Washroom Entertainment has produced some significant dancehall hits. Songs such as Certified Diva by Tifa and Tami Chynn, Hold On by Tifa, Siddung by Konshens and Darrio, the Matrimony rhythm and recently, Why Yuh Mad by Tifa and Spice, have given the label a steady presence on local charts.
Conroy Forte is the man behind Washroom. The producer, who initially wanted to be a deejay, said he turned to music production because his ‘mic’ skills were not up to scratch.
“While I was in high school, I had dreams of becoming a deejay. My favourite artistes at the time were Lexxus, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man, Sean Paul, Shabba Ranks, and Mr Vegas. They all had distinctive voices, but I decided to get into production because no one took me seriously as a deejay,” Forte said in an interview with the Jamaica Observer.
Forte grew up in Arcadia Circle, upper St Andrew, and attended Sts Peter and Paul Preparatory then Hillel Academy. His secondary studies were at St Georges College but due to indiscipline and poor grades, he was sent to military school in Florida.
After graduating from the Florida Air Force Academy, he got accepted to Florida International University where he graduated with a degree in Construction Management. Still eager for a career in music, Forte relocated to New York City where he studied at the Institute of Audio Engineering.
While in the Big Apple, Forte interned at Cutting Room studios where he met American rapper Jay-Z, his protégé Amil and producer Just Blaze. It had an instant impact on the budding producer.
“Just seeing them work only fuelled my passion for music production even more,” Forte recalled.
In 2009, after returning to Jamaica, he started Washroom Entertainment in the laundry area of his home. Ryan Chin, Jathneil Randal and Damian McGann, as well as Forte’s brother Joshua Rechani, are also partners in the company.
“We try to have fun with the music and also, in a male-dominated industry we embrace and work with a lot of female acts. We also believe in working with fresh talent, talent that we believe the goods to be the next big thing,” he said.
One of the upcoming acts in the Washroom camp is deejay Vital, whose song From Day One on the Dog Bite rhythm has been doing well on local radio.
Forte made his production debut on Tami Chynn’s 2006 debut album Out of Many… One which was released in Japan by Universal Music. Since then, he has worked on several projects including Dance the Night Away by Voice Mail and Busy Signal; Last Drink by Voice Mail and Konshens; and Swaggin by Wayne Marshall, Tifa and Future Fambo.
He says a compilation album and new singles are part of Washroom’s immediate plans.
