KINGSTON, Jamaica – It was Alkaline’s first on-air interview in more than a decade, but the exclusive sit-down may have done more harm than good as seemingly vague responses from the artiste quickly turned excitement into disappointment.

For more than a decade, Alkaline has maintained an air of elusiveness that has now become a part of his brand. But after witnessing his YouTube live interview with award-winning journalist Cliff Hughes on Wednesday, many believe the entertainer should try a new formula, as radio silence for the last 10 years left the Ardenne High alumni sounding dull and unprepared.

“A gentle man of his calibre needs to take the time to properly articulate himself when being interviewed. I hope he’ll get some guidance to prepare him going forward,” one viewer commented. “He is bright academically but cannot do a proper interview,” another shared.
“Is he annoyed to be there? This is what unpreparedness looks like,” another commented.
In the interview, Alkaline was fielded questions about his family background, his genesis in dancehall, as well as how he has managed to manoeuvre fame. But his one-line answers left a bad taste in the mouths of many. At times, Hughes, seemingly trying to pull more out of the artiste would ask him follow-up questions.

“How did you do at CXC?” Hughes asked as he tried to get a sense of the artiste’s schooling.
“Mi do mi thing man,” the entertainer replied. Hughes, probing further, asked the artiste what he meant by that, hoping to get more out of the entertainer.
“Mi gwaan good man. Mi get mi subjects dem man,” the entertainer added.
The artiste, who was admitted to the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC) post high school, was then quizzed on his days at the institution. He expressed that although the experience was “calm, cool”, his sole focus at that time was music.

The pair were only 10 minutes into their almost 45-minute chat, and viewers began to voice their annoyance with the trajectory.
“I rate alkaline to the MAX, but I can’t believe this is how he interviews. Very disappointing,” one viewer said.
“For Alka to be a seasoned artist, not a newcomer in music, the interview should not be this dry/pulling teeth,” another commented.
By the end of the interview, many viewers believe the entertainer’s media boycott over the years was perhaps not a strategy. They expressed that after witnessing how the artiste handled himself, avoiding interviews may have been in his best interest all along.
“Him have a right not to talk to the media cuz this is not it,” one viewer shared.

“Cliff, turn on back the music or even the news at this point because mi nuh know a wah dis. Better him never do no interview and keep we guessing. This boring bad.”
But while most of the comments meted out to the deejay oozed negativity, some offered words of encouragement as they advised the entertainer to seek interview training. They expressed that a decade away from the media spotlight left the entertainer nervous and unhinged, as earlier interviews from his younger self were far better.
“Not doing an interview in 10 years, he seems out of practice. Watch his old interviews; he wasn’t like that. Still one of the most intelligent dancehall artistes, he just needs some more practice,” one user said, with another urging the artiste’s management team to “hire a representative to prepare him for interviews going forward.”