‘A my time now’ declares Whispa Di Minista

After receiving the nod of approval from dancehall superstar Popcaan, fast-rising talent 'Whispa Di Minista' said he's looking ahead to achieving global success. This follows his recent viral audition which saw him scoring a record label deal with international producer, Druski.

Creating a viral impact on social media which saw his audition clip skyrocket to almost 10 million views combined on all his social platforms, the talented singjay said his aim is definitely to capitalise on this needed career boost.

"This viral moment just mean seh aright den, di people dem a look now suh just work hard," an ecstatic Whispa Di Minista shared with THE STAR.

"I've been working but nobody neva did a see weh mi a duh but dem a look now. I really needed this because the people are saying they've been waiting on me because I'm a very talented artiste, suh it's a great look and just a great feeling, suh mi jus affi put in all a di work now. A my time now."

The artiste was marked by Popcaan as an exceptional talent during his judging session on the reality show/recording label, Coulda Been Records - conceptualised and hosted by popular American comedian, producer and internet personality, Druski. The show focuses on showcasing talented musicians and offering them a chance to be signed to the label.

Following the televised series, previously hosted in Nigeria and Atlanta, it was recently featured in Kingston and saw dancehall artistes Shenseea and Popcaan as the special guest judges.

After spitting few bars from his 'North Pole' single, a riled up Popcaan who was the preliminary judge for Whispa Di Minista's performance, immediately sent him to the second round where he was signed by Druski after a brief performance.

The 'These Streets' artiste, who's from a musical family, said even before his professional start in music, he always envisioned a career in the field because "before I knew what it was, it was just a vibe to see daddy rock and move to the music and I always wanted to do what he does. It was just a natural thing for me. It was always music".

Though he described his musical style as a "grimy dancehall" artiste, he said he never allowed his talent to be "box in" as he also has a wide catalogue of positive and conscious/reality music.

With some of his notable tracks such as 'Mankind', '9 to 5' featuring Jahvillani and 'Changes' creating a global positive impact, the creative genius said his "grimy" persona is just a way to set the pace and satisfy the appetite of fans. Now with his recent deal, he is ready to release a plethora of reality music which reflects his "true self and image".

In addition to his unique, commanding sound and talent, the artiste is confident that he possesses several other attributes which will see him being a trailblazer among his colleagues.

"[Also] ma image - mi natural and mi naah bleach suh dat also helps with me being a standout. Dancehall a nuh just talent alone, is a mixture of things, so mi just a try find di right formula," Whispa Di Minista said.

WILL FOREVER PRESS ON

Despite owning his own recording label, One Kick Records, the humble deejay said one of his greatest challenges over the years navigating the overall music space was due to "slow production" from other producers in order to kick-off his career the way he desired. However, with the help of Popcaan's recent push to connect him to another label, along with the collective efforts from members of his team to push through with his label, the dream is now becoming more of a reality.

Though the challenges sometimes get daunting, the 'Loyalty' artiste said he will forever press on.

"Is just di love weh mi have fi it and mi see weh mi music duh to people," a confident Whispa Di Minista stated.

"Mi have real songs, not just party songs, and people reach out to me and show mi weh mi song duh fi dem - like situations weh dem a guh through, like 'These Streets', and dem song deh lift dem up and mi get video wid people a cry. Suh a dem likkle ting deh mek mi know seh mi powerful and di world need fi know mi...Di people dem need fi see mi face and know mi name worldwide."

He said getting that musical big break would mean a lot to him as he is sure he has what it takes to make it internationally.

"It would mean di world to me. It woulda mek dancehall nice again, wi a bring it pon a different level - wi a bring dancehall mainstream/international, dat addi aim and unu soon get di song dem weh ago duh dat...Suh if me get the opportunity fi push di way me waah push or di strength weh me waah, nutten cyaah stop mi - dancehall nice again," Whispa Di Minista chuckled.

On that note, the composed but lyrically deadly singjay encouraged aspiring talents and young youths "not to give up, just believe inna yuhself. Whether or not yuh a do a nine to five, anything yuh believe yuh can do, yuh can dweet."

Noting that his stage moniker means "mi a whisper a breath of truth inna everything mi seh while wi a minister to di world", Whispa Di Minista is now gearing up to undertake his Coulda Been Records deal.

The artiste said he is more focused on putting in the work and composing more writing materials as he prepares for better days ahead.

Whispa Di Minista is also set to release a slew of music videos, which will drop soon.