EMERGING actor and artiste Damion Hype is on a high after being awarded Best Supporting Actor in The Mid-South Black Film Festival in Tennessee, in June.

He received the honour for his role in the short film Girl Wake Up.

“I’m completely grateful to have been a part of the film. I am humbled by the opportunity and would not have achieved this award if it wasn’t for the co-stars. They were professionals, so I mirrored some of the stuff that they did,” Damion Hype, who is currently on a trip to the island, told the Jamaica Observer.

Damion Hype, in his debut role, played the character Mike — a friend of one of the film’s main character Randy.

“The character Randy is obsessed with this girl and he becomes a stalker. The girl, on the other hand, she has just been hurt in the past from abusive relationships; so she can’t see a good guy for who he is. I was the guy who was there for Randy — helping him out…He was sleeping on my couch,” said Damion Hype.

Girl Wake Up’s executive director is Danni Lee and explores several real-life themes such as poverty, abuse, and relationships. It premièred in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2021, and was also uploaded to popular steaming platform YouTube.

“Danni Lee, who is the executive director and close friend of the family, she did wanted me to be a part of it and there was also the opportunity to showcase my soundtrack on the show,” he said.

“People were excited to see it because it’s like, I know him through music, I see how he is in music video, so let’s see this side of him,” he continued.

He has his sights set on more mainstream projects.

“I hope they call me back for another film. I would really love to be part of Shottas. My dream was always to work with the Marley family so that would be like a dream come true,” Hype said.

Damion Hype, whose given name is Damion Lumsden, hails from Portland. He migrated to Memphis, Tennessee, at 18 years old and originally had his eyes set on accounting. He is also principal of NuWav3 Records.

He has been doing music for approximately four years, including collaborations with American artistes such as the well-known Big Boogie (Big Dude), who is a CMG (Yo Gotti) record label artiste. They collaborated on Damion Hype’s song Above the Wata and Bad Gal Remix. His latest project, the My Version EP, was released on July 15.

Damion Hype hopes to, someday, collaborate with Popcaan.

“Popcaan is my schoolmate from Happy Grove High School. Back then, when we were just beating the desks and we didn’t know this would’ve been the outcome. So, it would be great to work on something together,” he said.