Blak Diamon bang on with new track
A SPONTANEOUS studio jam involving deejay Blak Diamon and his brother, producer Anju Blaxx, has given him an overdue hit song in Bang Bang.
The breakthrough comes 14 years after he cut his first song.
“Anju Blaxx had built the ‘riddim’ and we were in the studio vibing. The riddim is so powerful it literally spoke to me,” Blak Diamon recalled. “I started to freestyle and Bang Bang just came out. I was really just having fun with the music.”
Blak Diamon, who is in his early 30s, previously released songs such as
In the Streets, Love Triangle and We Nuh Play. But he was also beating the books, earning a degree in Psychology at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.
Originally from upscale Cherry Gardens in St Andrew, Blak Diamon (real name Shawn Myrie) says he has always been around music, learning to play congos at an early age.
“Before the degree, there was always music, it’s a part of me. A part of my lifestyle, my upbringing,” he explained. “School was mandatory, I had to choose a major and I have always been fascinated by psychology. I thought it would be beneficial to me in whatever career path I would have chosen and now I can say it has helped me out a lot especially in this business.”
One of his first music ventures was starting a sound system named Uptempo with his brother Andrew (Anju Blaxx). Later, he got involved in music production, starting with the Conscience riddim which had songs by Bounty Killer, Elephant Man, Alozade, Shawn Storm and Masicka.
Getting airplay for his songs has not always been easy. For Blak Diamon, it remains the most frustrating part of the music business.
“The creative process of music is the greatest part. It’s natural. The hardest task is when the music leaves the studio we have little or no control over what will be played or by whom,” he said.
Bang Bang has fared better at radio than his earlier efforts. He has also recorded a track on the Punjabi beat, another new project from Anju Blaxx’ UIM label.
Blak Diamon has also recorded for producers Dinearo and Kadeem. His debut EP, Diamon Eclipse, is scheduled for release this summer.
