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Saturday, 28 August 2004 |
 When a Caribbean star gets introduced to the UK, a slot with Beenie Man and a tour including Wembley with Busta Rhymes is good going. Enter Magnet Man: the future of the increasingly successful Caribbean music scene and the principle musical ambassador of Barbados. Magnet Man encapsulates the perfect Bajan combination with his heady mix of soca, dancehall and R&B while fusing the best elements of his culture and firmly establishing Barbados as a hotbed for musical talent.
The music scene of the Caribbean is often stereotyped by the mainstream as being a genre that is somewhat chauvinistic with elements of homophobia. Magnet Man's approach to music-making dissolves this myth. There is no doubt that Magnet's music is international whilst having a distinctly Caribbean flavour, and his lyrical content deals with many things including "how to love" his woman and "wucking" his gal right. What makes Magnet Man stand out is his innovative production; breezy off-beats and subtle guitars which liven up his sun-drenched rhythms.
When people meet Magnet Man for the first time they say that he is not what you would expect from a Caribbean star. Magnet Man was born in a "bad man" area of Silver Hill, Barbados. He witnessed a lot of violence and drug abuse in the Bajan ghetto, something that made him staunchly anti-drugs and, although people assume that all Caribbean men with dreadlocks smoke weed, Magnet doesn't even smoke cigarettes and never has. In fact you'll only catch him with a rum and coke once in a blue moon. But what you will always catch Magnet Man in is silver; jewellery and a colour that will always remind him of his roots and the tough life he could have had in Silver Hill.
In the Caribbean, Magnet Man is known as the "man of many voices" and his capabilities as a vocalist range from a sweet melodic singing voice to a larger than life deep chant. In the studio Magnet Man's ability as both a songwriter and a producer is evident through his resonant lyrics and stand out beats. Plus on stage his pelvic-grinding and massive presence makes for a supercharged high-energy performance.
Although his sound is fresh, Magnet Man is by no means new to making music and is already a recognized star. In Barbados Magnet Man's first group was Guy Soull whose acapella style gained musical recognition and a big live following, culminating in a Top 10 hit in Barbados with ‘You In my Heart' and a NIFCA (National Independence Festival of Creative Arts) Award for ‘Friends Forever'. Magnet Man then joined an outfit called FX from which the hit single ‘The Gals Dem' came from.
But it wasn't until his involvement with the highly acclaimed "Stormm" collective that Magnet Man achieved widespread success in the Caribbean. ‘Kaylalay' was Stormm's biggest hit, holding the number one spot in the region for eight weeks. Magnet Man then went on to perform as lead singer with the highly acclaimed 4D People. He opened for a number of international acts including Ja Rule, Ashanti, Shaggy, Carl Thomas, reggae superstar Anthony B and Beres Hammond and toured in Guyana, South America, St Vincent, the US and Canada.
In July 2003 Magnet Man began to pursue his solo career and quickly put together a dynamic backing band for his one-man onslaught on the Caribbean. The Caribbean had loved him in his previous bands but went crazy for him as a solo artist and the Bajan anthem ‘Wuck U Right' made Magnet Man an instantly recognizable star.
A year later Magnet Man is ready to unleash his sound on the UK and let them into the world of Bajan music with his debut single entitled ‘How To Love'. This will be followed by the release of his ‘Magnificent' album and UK dates where he will be leading what is set to be The Bajan Invasion.
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