BROOKLYN-BASED, Grammy-nominated, Billboard-charting producer Dre Skull is banking on Cholita, a talented singer from Kingston, with the hopes of making her into the next major star.

Dre Skull, who is the owner of Mixpak Records, has an impressive catalogue with some of dancehall’s finest acts.

He produced Cholita’s new single Without You, a collaboration with dancehall hitmaker Skillibeng.

Without You looks hit-bound, with local and overseas (in London, Nairobi, Zurich and Mexico City) radio stations giving the song a stamp of approval.

In an interview with the Jamaica Observer, Dre Skull shared how he discovered the Kingston-based singer who is a product of a Jamaican father and a Peruvian mother.

“I discovered Cholita on social media. I saw a video of her singing and reached out to her and asked her if she was an artiste and what she was working on. She told me she wasn’t an artiste, but by chance she had just written her first song the month before and had a deep connection to music. She sent me that song, and then we started sending music back and forth, and it grew from there,” said Dre Skull.

The producer added that, “It’s been amazing working with Cholita. She’s still so young in her career, and every step of the way she rises to the occasion and, to me, that’s what separates a great artiste from a good artiste. Whether it’s working with her in the studio, hearing her sing, or writing songs with her, it’s clear she’s a born star.”

Dre Skull produced Popcaan’s début album Where We Come From, as well as its follow-up Forever, both of which hit the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.

He also produced Vybz Kartel’s Billboard-charting album Kingston Story.

He recently received a Grammy nomination for his work with Burna Boy and is best known for his work with artistes like PartyNextDoor, Wizkid, among others.

Said Dre Skull: “I’ve spent a lot of time and energy working with great artistes both as a producer and through my label, Mixpak Records. When you work with great artistes it’s truly a unique opportunity, and you can’t ever take it for granted. When I work with Cholita I have that same feeling where I’m inspired and feel like music has power, and I’m grateful for all the things we’ve been making and starting to share with the world.

“I see Cholita as a really singular artiste, and she’s building an amazing world of her own. The response to her first two singles — Next Time and Without You — has been incredible, and there’s so much amazing music to come. Stay tuned.”

Commenting on the song’s inspiration, Cholita shared: “Without You was inspired by that rare, overwhelming feeling you get when you’re deeply in love. When everything flows so effortlessly and just fits. It’s about reaching a point where you feel so strongly for someone that you can’t imagine life without their love or their presence.”

Cholita grew up in a musical family. Her dad is a sound engineer and music producer and her uncles and grandfather on my mom’s side are also musicians

“I’ve always loved singing; it’s the one thing that truly brings me peace. Exploring songwriting more deeply is what pushed me to pursue music professionally. Music wasn’t something I had to go searching for; it has always been around me and for me,” said the artiste, who has been in the profession for a year and a half.

Cholita is quite upbeat about working alongside Dre Skull and the future.

“Working with Dre has been a pleasure. He has an ear you can really trust. One of the biggest things I’ve learned from him is that there are many different ways to approach making music; there’s no strict right or wrong. It’s about what feels right in the moment and embracing the process.”

Cholita’s début single Next Time has already made waves internationally, with radio support everywhere from Kingston (Zip FM, Fyah 105) and London (BBC Radio1, Kiss, Capital) to New York (Hot 97). Next Time has also been added to global fashion retailer H&M’s playlist in stores around the world.

As of Wednesday, December 3, Without You occupied position #3 while Next Time held the #9 position on the daily Jamaica YouTube Trending chart.

Dre Skull.

Skillibeng.