With Reggae Sumfest’s live concerts slated for July 22-23, the Jamaica Observer’s entertainment section continues with the fifth in the series on key moments from the show as well as artistes slated to perform.

Reggae singer Irie Souljah said he is preparing to deliver a stellar performance on his debut at Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay, St James, on Saturday.

“I’m really exited about Reggae Sumfest as it’s going to be my first time at this legendary show, looking forward to deliver a good set and introduce myself and my new songs to the ones who don’t know me yet, and for my fans, friends and family in Jamaica to see me perform after a long time,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

The Barcelona-born artiste said the upcoming gig will be his biggest local assignment.

“It’s definitely the biggest stage a ‘Yaad’ but not worldwide as I’ve performed at shows over 30,000 people. But I must say that it will probably feel like the biggest show I’ve ever done because of the magnitude of the event and the amount of legends performing during the festival, plus is the return of Sumfest after the pandemic; so it’s going to be a epic one for sure,” he said.

Thankful, the latest single from Irie Souljah, will be released today. It is a follow-up to Helping Hand which was released four weeks ago on the Hazzle Beatz Productions imprint.

“My music overall is a positive energy kinda vibes, with lots of melodies and different vocal registers, I always try to write songs with meaning so people can benefit from it not just getting entertained. Rooted in reggae but now exploring new genres so the message can reach out to a bigger audience as well as experimenting with my creative abilities as a producer and songwriter so I can continue to grow and deliver better music,” he said.

Both singles will be on his yet-to-be-titled EP slated for release in September.

“It will have seven tracks and, this time there’s no collabs, I have collabs for other projects but I wanted to keep this EP as a personal project just to showcase my fans a different side of my music, more singing vibes and different genres like R&B, dancehall and Afrobeat… I know people are going to love this one,” he said.

Irie Souljah (whose given name is Josep Grau Saula) was born in Spain. His life, however, changed when he watched Sizzla Kalonji’s 2009 performance in Barcelona. He began to write his own music, and eventually started a band, dubbed Mystic Souldiers, which became one of the biggest reggae acts in Spain.

He relocated to Jamaica in 2014 where he continued his musical journey. His other songs include Kiss The Sky, and Who Is The Immigrant.

— Brian Bonitto