Golden boy Govana
Open the Door — a song by Spanish singer Bad Gyal and dancehall deejay Govana, featuring DJ Papis — has been certified gold in Spain for sales of more than 20,000.
The certification is a combination of physical sales, as well as streaming and digital downloads. It was recently issued by Productores de Musica de Espana (Spanish Music Producers), better known as PROMUSICAE.
Govana (given name Romeo Nelson) explained how the collaboration with Bad Gyal came about.
“I was contacted by the producer, Pop Style, regarding the collaboration. At first, I wasn’t aware of Bad Gyal as an artiste but I went and did my research. I liked her sound and I also realised that she was a big fan of dancehall. So, I told them I was up for it and they sent the chorus with the open verse and we got to work,” Govana told the Jamaica Observer.
Released in November 2018, Open the Door is accompanied by an official video which has so far racked up more than 6.7 million views on YouTube.
Govana shared how he reacted to news about the song’s certification and what the accomplishment meant for him.
“When I got the news, I reacted with joy of course. But you know, all the glory to Jah and the fans. This is a nice accomplishment and we just thinking forward now on how we can achieve even more and how we can better that. This signifies that you have to be open to exploring different markets in music. Can’t be locked into the same things all the time. Stick to the roots but every now and then try something outside the box,” said Govana.
He continued, “To be honest, I had to go and listen the song after I got the news to even remember the lyrics. But that’s how it goes at times, and that’s why I just do the best I can to the highest level I can all the time, and just let Jah and the fans do the rest.”
Bad Gyal, whose real name is Alba Farelo, is 24 years old. She is from a town called Catalonia in Spain. She performs a fusion of Spanish with dancehall and reggaeton.
In 2019, she signed with Aftercluv, the dance and global cultures division of Universal Music Latin Entertainment and Interscope.
Bad Gyal previously worked with Jamaican acts Qraig Voicemail (2018 track titled Unknown Feeling) and Busy Signal (2019 song Santa Maria, which has also been certified gold in Spain).
Among Govana’s biggest hits are Bake Bean, Champ, Gyal Clown, Hamants Convo, Loyalty, Cups Up, One and Move, and Breeze featuring Aidonia.
