Few summer pop hits in the United States go by without a Jamaican covering it. The latest is British rising star Ella Mai’s Boo’d Up which gets a reggae makeover by singer Pinky Famous.

The cover version is scheduled for release next week, six months after the original raced up US Billboard charts. Boo’d Up reggae-style is produced by Oneil Darby, Pinky Famous’s father, who encouraged her to take a crack at one of this year’s biggest hits.

“I heard it a couple of times, like when I went to clubs or parties but I don’t listen to R&B like that. I’m more into dancehall and old soul,” Pinky Famous told the Jamaica Observer.

Driven by a lover’s rock beat created by Jahvon Lothian, son of veteran session guitarist Earl “Chinna” Smith, Pinky Famous said she did not want to stray much from the original. Keeping the party flavour, she added, was key.

“They wanted to me to keep as close to her but I gave it some of my flavour. I changed the delivery and put in a few slurs,” she said.

Prior to its official release, Pinky Famous’s Boo’d Up has serviced popular dances like Weddy Weddy. However, the litmus test comes in a matter of days when it is digitally released.

“We are hoping for a big buzz. If it can do half as well as the original I’m happy,” she said.

Boo’d Up is the breakthrough single for Ella Mai. Recently, it recorded its 15th week at number one on Billboard’s R&B/Hip Hop Airplay Chart; the song peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Pinky Famous was born Tishana Trefena Darby in Kingston. Most of her songs, including Self-Motivation and Unconditional Love (with Luciano) are produced by her father who did the sound system rounds in the 1980s as deejay Oneil Famous.

— Howard Campbell