Using music as a means of therapy has created a platform for up-and-coming artiste Invasion, who told OBSERVER ONLINE that when he started viewing music as a career, he lost his mother.

A year later he also lost his brother to gun violence. Prior to this, the artiste, given name Romario Brown, was just having fun freestyling with his friend in the studio until his undeniable talent was pointed out to him.

“I have an artiste bredren that them call Top Shot. Me used to go studio with him when him go voice song. So one of the time dem I was there and me start freestyle and a give him some words fi put inna song, and after that him tell me say ‘you know say you can do music’. And I was there joking it out until me voice me first song and it was a song that me voice with him called ‘Head Shot’. From that time me just get the drive and love for music,” Invasion said.

The 23-year-old started his music journey but was thrown into mourning when his mother, who was sick, died in the hospital. This trauma fueled the artiste’s music repertoire, as it was an outlet for all that he was feeling.

“Then me start experience a lot things in life and because me nuh talkative and me nuh like tell people me problem dem and stuff, me just put all these things in music so that give me another kick start again to put all of my pains and problem dem in my music,” Invasion disclosed to OBSERVER ONLINE.

It has been three years since Invasion entered the dancehall fraternity and he said that the journey has been a progressive one so far.

He told OBSERVER ONLINE that he has been on stage shows, and has been invited to sing on popular ‘riddims’. He added that he has also secured a collab with fellow dancehall artiste Intence called ‘Yeng Badness’.

With this progress, and what is yet to come, Invasion’s hope – like many artistes- is to bring dancehall to the international market. But, unlike others, he intends to keep the authenticity of Jamaican dancehall.

“Me want take this music thing to a different level because the business stay away right now where nobody nah really transcend into the international market, and when they do, most of these artistes a bring foreign go to foreign and that nuh make sense. Me always have it in my mind fi bring Jamaica go a foreign because a di best way that. Meaning, them a sing more like foreign people and them (foreigners) done used to that already so them need fi put in more of the Jamaican vibe and flavour and me hope fi do that,” Invasion explained.

In the meantime, Invasion is enjoying the feedback from his local fans who have been showing their support for his music. He added that after taking a small break from music due to all he has been through, he is back in full force and is rebuilding his catalogue.

“People a react good. From the other day, some likkle ting did gwaan weh me just did laid back likkle because me did a lose a lot… so me just a buildup back the ting now. A last week me drop one video for a song name ‘Rum Chat’ on my Vevo and the people dem a react to it good,” he said.

“Every day me can look out for more than five, six, seven people a post it and tag me in it on Instagram so that mean people a rotate it. When me look on people status on my phone, it a post same way. Me a go party and selector a play it and people a go party and a video when selector a play it and send it to me,” he explained.

Though the artiste focuses heavily on life experiences in his music, he also touches on related and popular topics because he believes this is what people want. He said though he does not partake in what he sings about, songs about gun and scamming can be found in his catalogue.

When asked how he feels about the ban on these songs by the Broadcasting Commission, Invasion said that it will not affect him.

“Them thing nah go really affect nothing because with these young people a TikTok and Instagram and YouTube them listen to. Dem nuh really listen to radio. Even if them go in a vehicle and radio a play, them a go lock it off and connect Bluetooth and play what them want hear. Them (Broadcasting Commission) a do fi them thing and we have to do our thing to survive and feed ourselves,” Invasion said.

His music can be streamed on all major music platforms and YouTube.