PROBABLY the most popular genre in Latin America, reggaeton has helped introduce Jamaican artistes and culture to that region. The hybrid of dancehall/reggae and Latin sounds drives StarBoy EP, which features Felva, Jowell and Popeye Caution.

Produced by Felva for his Maintain Music label, the three-song project has been out since October 3. Its songs are Asi Lo Hacemos, Jamaica, and Starboy Hot.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, the Miami-based Felva spoke about StarBoy EP‘s origins.

“StarBoy EP was pretty much formed because me and Popeye, over the years, have consistently worked and developed a catalogue of music together. And aside from the catalogue of music that we have together, we’re also really great friends and so we just felt that it would be a strong project to put together if he and I collaborated and put a body of work together,” he said.

Felva is of Colombian and Ecuadorean heritage. He has a growing reputation as a DJ, artiste,and producer in Miami’s reggaeton community, working with Walshy Fire and Diplo of EDM giants, Major Lazer.

Popeye Caution was born in Kingston but has lived in South Florida since childhood. He has been recording songs since 2010.

One of their previous collaborations was Run Tingz, a 2021 hip hop/dancehall song done with the Gifted Program.

Also on StarBoy EP is Jowell, a member of Jowell & Randy which is one of the most successful acts in reggaeton — a genre that borrows heavily from classic dancehall songs from the 1980s and 1990s.

Felva wants StarBoy EP to bridge cultures and make fans aware of reggaeton’s roots.

“I hope to bring more awareness to the connection between dancehall music and reggaeton. I think that they go hand in hand and that it’s important for people to know about it. I think it’s important for, especially the Latin community, because I feel like the Latin community is a little … I’m not going to say the word ignorant, but a little bit unaware of how it all started, how the genre started,” he said.