Whenever Vysionaer listens to pioneer roots artistes like Peter Tosh and Joseph Hill of Culture, he gets a sense they were in control of the music they made.

He would like to have a similar grasp over the direction of his own songs, which include the recently released Hard And Dread and My Defence, both produced by Addis Records from Switzerland.

“Mi want a connection wid a producer wha’ my chemistry relevant ’cause dat’s very important. A lotta producer waah change yuh originality jus’ fi di season an’ mi nuh really want dat,” he said.

Vysionaer (born Delroy Brown) is from Rose’s Valley in St Elizabeth. Though still in his 20s, he favours the sounds of elders like Tosh, Hill, Jacob Miller and The Gladiators.

Their music, he noted, still sells and has thousands of fans globally. He is determined to emulate that endurance and never gets frustrated that he has not landed a hit song eight years after he began recording.

“If yuh understand di music pon a different level yuh know sey a hit song can happen anytime,” he said.

Waah Come Home for Sajay Productions was Vysionaer’s first release. Last year Altafaan Records released Soldier, his first EP.

He has also worked with producer Sheldon “Calibud” Stewart on songs yet to be released.

— Howard Campbell