While growing up in Spanish Town, St Catherine, Dwayne Stewart always wanted to become an entertainer.

In truth, members of his family did pursue music, but none had any success; he hoped to make a difference.

On Thursday night he made his major stage show debut when he performed his very first song, a soca ditty called Push Back at I Love Soca+.

“Performing at I Love Soca+ was a great experience. I really appreciated how the crowd received the performance, and some were singing along. I was very surprised at this, but I found it heartwarming at the same time,” Stewart told the Jamaica Observer shortly after leaving the stage.

Push Back, released in late October, is produced by One Spinn and Kaboom Music.

He explained why he decided to release a soca song.

“Trinidad has always been a second home for me. I have a keen sense for soca and I like to dabble in different genres of music. I really love soca, so I decided to do a soca track. It’s happy music and from I hear the beat and the melody, the flow comes instantly,” said Stewart.

He had played Manning Cup at his alma mater St Catherine High in Spanish Town, and harboured thoughts of becoming a professional football player. But he made the switch to music because it was a form of therapy for him.

“My dad lived in the US and my mother lived elsewhere, and she raised some of my other siblings. I grew up with my grandmother, and I was a bit angry that I didn’t have both parents with me, so I wrote songs and that helped to relax my mind. Music was therapeutic for me,” he shared.

With the help of some of his friends, Stewart was able to attend Edna Manley College for the Visual and Performing Arts, at which he studied music.

It was during a visit to Trinidad and Tobago that Stewart flirted with the idea of a career in modeling.

“I was in Trinidad and a lady encouraged me to enter the Top Model Trinidad and Tobago competition. I was hesitant at first and they had over 60 guys competing. Then the number was slashed to 30, and then it was whittled down to a Top 15, and I made the Top 5. All everyone was talking about was the guy from Jamaica. I was featured in the Guardian newspaper and some other magazines over there. That experience taught me a lot not to follow what you hear until you experience it for yourself,” said Stewart.

And now that his debut single has been making the rounds, Stewart says he is hungry for success.

“The hunger I have is getting up at three am each morning and writing songs, working out every day, doing voice training daily, running, and exercising. I am putting in the background work to reach where I want to go,” Stewart shared.