Being from the farm belt region of southern Jamaica, April Maye grew up seeing his family till the soil, and seemed destined to follow that tradition. However, while pursuing a course in agriculture at the HEART Trust/NTA, he had a change of heart.

Last year, he returned to music which he considers his true calling. His latest songs, Drip and Di Life, were recently released by producers Slik 4our Music Group.

Before enrolling in HEART, April Maye recorded his first song, Moma Yuh Can’t Run mi Out, which made little impact. Things are a bit different with his comeback singles.

“Drip gi mi a little buzz in di streets, it put mi out dey a little an’ boost mi confidence,” he said.

Born Troy Hall, the 24-year-old artiste is from May Pen, Clarendon, and was raised to respect farmers and the hours of toil they put in to produce a successful crop. At the same time, he said “mi love music from birth”.

Three years ago, he teamed with Studio Vybes and Thee Khemist Records out of Manchester, which co-produced Moma Yuh Can’t Run mi Out.

Though he points to standard-bearers like Bob Marley as an influence, April Maye’s biggest inspiration comes from sports.

“Man like LeBron James and (Lionel) Messi show yuh how fi fight an’ reach di top. Mi look up to dem man dey,” he said.

— Howard Campbell