MELBOURNE Douglas is an artiste with a vision. Going by the moniker dBURNZ, he has a clear aim in music. That, he says is to bring something new to Jamaican music.

And that is, as he calls it, ‘one beat’.

dBURNZ, 20, describes ‘one beat’ as a fusion genre of Jamaican music similar to Electronic Dance Music internationally.

Douglas got his start from an early age, growing up with a father who owned a sound system.

From those days, he and his brother were putting on the instrumentals of their father’s records and ‘clashing’ with freestyles and poetry.

“I am a performer. I started performing from way back, even before I knew, well even before I recorded anything formally,” he says, “And shows on stage, that’s when I’m at my best. Put me pon a stage, that’s my playing field.”

Glenmuir High School played a key part in his grooming as a performer, where he was a lead singer in the choir.

At Glenmuir he was introduced to dub poetry, which he says is still plays a part in his style.

He, however, also took part in the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) festival of performing arts, where his appreciation for music was refined as evidenced by his two gold, four silver, and five bronze medals for music.

A student at the University of the West Indies, dBURNZ continued his development in music, touring England with the Pop Society during the 2012 Olympics period and also during the celebrations of Jamaica 50. These included performances at Jamaica Day celebrations in Birmingham and the Independence Flag Raising Ceremony at the O2 Arena in London as well as Carifesta XI in Suriname.

When asked about his inspirations in music, dBURNZ cites a range of artistes from Buju Banton and Junior Gong to Frank Sinatra whose vocals he enjoys. He sees himself as most similar to current artistes like Chronixx and Kabaka Pyramid, but makes clear that “what I want to do is bring a difference to Jamaican music”.

His song Run Babylon on the One Beat riddim is his foremost ongoing project. When asked where he sees himself going, the calmly confident Douglas says; “In a year I see myself on some big stages, Europe, Africa. One thing I’d love to do is visit every country in Africa and start a charity for kids there; even if it’s just one child’s life we make better. You know, tour the world and spread good music to di people dem.”