It wasn’t supposed to be a viral moment. Complex Ricki was rehearsing for upcoming performances, working with her vocal coach and experimenting with covers she could weave between songs in her set. Somewhere in that process, the Jamaican-born recording artiste turned to an old favourite — Sizzla’s Give Me a Try.

She shared a glimpse of the rehearsal online and, unexpectedly, people began listening and sharing. The clip quickly amassed close to 100,000 views across TikTok and Instagram, while other users have reposted the performance and borrowed Ricki’s vocals as the soundtrack for their own reels.

For the artiste, who says she uploaded the video simply to give followers a peek behind the curtain, the response caught her off guard.

“I was working on rehearsals for upcoming shows and I wanted to do covers in between my sets. Give Me a Try is one of my favourite songs,” she explained. “I just wanted to show a bit of my process because I was working with my vocal coach, and it turns out everyone liked it. I wasn’t really expecting anything from it, but I love the support I’m getting.”

There is a certain full-circle quality to the attention. This isn’t Ricki’s first time putting her spin on the Sizzla classic. She previously performed the song on Instagram, where her rendition caught the attention of Sizzla himself, who she says reposted it to his page. Her connection to the record, however, goes back much further.

Ricki, who was born in Jamaica before migrating to the United States, remembers listening to Give Me a Try during her younger years in Cleveland, Ohio. Both Sizzla’s original and Rihanna’s rendition formed part of those memories, while Sizzla himself became one of the Jamaican voices that influenced her musical development.

Years later, it is that same song helping to introduce her voice to a wider audience.

Since the latest clip took off, Ricki says she has watched the attention spill beyond views and likes. Her follower count and music streams have climbed, while messages have begun arriving from artistes, producers and record labels.

“A few artistes I look up to and love their music have commented, liked, reposted or DM’d me since the post,” she shared. “I’ve had labels reach out, producers and artistes have also reached out, and I just see more and more people paying attention, especially internationally.”

For an emerging artiste navigating an industry where viral moments can sometimes be built around everything but the music, Ricki is particularly pleased about what audiences have responded to: her voice.

“What I love about this moment is the fact that people are actually supporting my natural, raw voice,” she said.

That voice sits at the centre of a musical identity Ricki describes as difficult to squeeze neatly into one box. Moving between R&B, reggae, dancehall, trap and Afro-fusion, she has developed a hybrid sound reflective of a life spent travelling between Jamaica and the United States.

Now, with more eyes — and ears — turned in her direction, she is hoping to convert a viral introduction into sustained interest in her own music. Ricki is currently rolling out a reggae EP while preparing for an upcoming performance. Her next single, Too Sweet, is slated for release next month, with collaborations and accompanying music videos also in the pipeline.