Dancehall’s “Melody Gad” Kranium says his EP Toxic is the perfect appetizer for his forthcoming debut album.

Toxic, his sophomore set, is scheduled for release at midnight and bears five tracks including the title track and his 2020 smash Gal Policy.

During an online interview with Kenya’s DJ 4eign, he shared that he actually intended to release an EP during the early buzz of Gal Policy, but delayed the project because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Most of the songs were recorded in COVID,” he said. “To promote a record it’s like the shows, the interviews and stuff like that and because that has been taken away from us we had to push it back to now. We realise seh we still in a pandemic so now it’s like let’s select the songs that we think are strong enough to give them an appetizer.”

He’s confident that the project will be well-received and said it captures his musical growth since his 2015 Rumours EP which featured his breakout hit Nobody Has to Know.

He also revealed his favourite track from Toxic – Won’t Judge.

“I don’t give fans too much music so dem always appreciate what I do drop,” he said. “I don’t think I ever drop a whack record, and it’s not even about self-praise or recommendation. Won’t Judge is like the woman dem a go understand, ‘Okay this is Kranium, weh mi really love bout him’.”

Though he speaks highly of his catalogue, Kranium admitted that he is anxious about the reception of his forthcoming album.

“It’s scary and I’m panicking at the same time because fi me it’s more like I don’t think people digest Kranium music how dem supposed to,” he said.

“I have a fanbase where it tek time to get to them. A Kranium record tek six to seven months fi break. I’ve never been the type of artist who is just clout or hype where as it drop, it works, so my songs dem always last longer than the average artist but it tek a longer time fi break than an average artist. So these records now, it’s so dope to the point where mi siddung and think like yow we haffi give dem a short seven-song or eight-song but it scary fi pick di records dem cause they’re so good.”

Speaking of projects, the singer is expected to appear on an upcoming record by Chevaugh which features Dexta Daps. Kranium and the latter are easily regarded as the panty-dropper crooners of dancehall, so a collaboration between them sounds natural. Kranium, however, is interested in doing more than one song with Daps.

“Mi honestly feel it has to be more than one because the level of creativity that it’s gonna take, I don’t think it’s fair for one song. It’d have to be even a four-song EP or a three-song EP.”

He added, “I’m down for it, I just don’t wanna get too old where it nuh matter anymore. If it happens, it happens. If it don’t, it don’t. I just know seh mi nuh waan nuh one song, it’s unfair.”