Though unapologetic about his love for live music, singer Av&nte went the beat route for Pleasure With Pain, his new song. Produced by Ireland Records, it was released January 17 by that label.

Typical of dancehall songs, Pleasure With Pain has a raunchy theme. Day & Age, his previous single, was released last year but was stripped-down roots-reggae, which he favours.

Like Pleasure With Pain, Day & Age is produced by Ireland Records which Av&nte says shares his musical beliefs.

“My intention is to capture the best of both sides in an effort display my versatility, as well as to maximise my earning potential as an artiste. As for how my beats are created, I prefer to do live recordings; programmed beats lack conviction in my opinion,” he said.

Born Owayne McCaulsky in Kingston, Av&nte was raised in King Weston, a rural district in St Andrew, which also produced fellow vocalist George Nooks. It was while attending Oberlin High School in that area that he discovered music, singing on the choir and recording demos for VS Plus Music.

His first song, Missing Your Love, was produced by Ricardo Campbell. It was released in 2016 while Av&nte was a student at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

Av&nte has performed twice at Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival and on other high-profile shows like Reggae Sumfest. Though the Jamaican music scene is replete with deejays and singjays, he believes there is still a place for singers.

“There is a market for singers in Jamaica. However, the problem with most singers is they don’t take the direction and advice of the people marketing them. That can make the job hard if the record label and the talent doesn’t see eye to eye,” he said.

Av&nte divides his time as an entertainer with teaching music at Sts Peter And Paul Preparatory School in Kingston. Teaching youngsters the rudiments of music is important, but he does have advice for his contemporaries.

“I encourage aspiring artistes and musicians to secure their royalties, by signing up with a performance rights organisation. By doing so, they will secure the rights to the work they do on every composition,” said Av&nte. “Too often we see artistes invest 30-40 years in their career then have nothing to show when they reach retirement age.”