The last 18 months have been relatively quiet in terms of recordings for Patrick Junior, but the veteran reggae singer has been busy doing shows in the United Kingdom, and plans to release an EP by September.

He splits his time between his native St Vincent and The Grenadines and the UK, after living in New York for 30 years. He spoke to Observer Online about the difficulties of going it alone.

“I am always recording new material, but it’s also a challenge releasing them as quickly as I would like, being an independent artiste,” he said.

Zion Gate, produced by Michael Eaton out of New York, is one of the songs Junior released in 2024.
Between recording sessions, he has done several shows including a guest slot on June 1 at Fox & Firkin Pub in London alongside Glen Washington, City Splash on May 26 in Brixton.

Like most countries in the Eastern Caribbean, calypso and soca are the preferred sounds in St Vincent and The Grenadines. Those islands also have pockets of reggae fans, which Patrick Junior belonged to.
His biggest influence is one of reggae’s legends.

“My sound is original with a flavour and styling of Dennis Emmanuel Brown,” said Junior, who points to Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer and Burning Spear as artistes who also had an impact on his career.

The pending EP will be his second, following Proud To Be Black, a joint effort with Scepta which came out in 2008. Patrick Junior has also released two albums.

– Howard Campbell