Serani has been a staple in Jamaica’s music industry for over a decade, pushing reggae and dancehall to the forefront of the world through his productions and singing talents.
The “Stinking Rich” singer continued this year teaming up with African sensation Burna Boy. Burna Boy was heard almost everywhere this year, as his hit single “Ye” off his 2018 ‘Outside’ project transcended various international boundaries. To add to the massive success of Outside, his most recent project ‘ African Giant’ was nominated for the 62nd Grammy Awards in the Best World Music Album category, and our very own Serani is featured on it.
The track in question is titled “Secrets,” and along with Serani, it also features r&b artiste Jeremih.
“Just saying that I am part of an album that is nominated for a Grammy Award means a lot. When I was a child, my dream was to be a hit producer, I had no dream of being a singer,” mentioned Serani during his interview with The Star. He continued and elaborated on his various songwriting, production, and singing credits, mentioning his smash hit “No Games.”
“So when I am part of an album with vocals, for which I have been told is one of the best songs on the album, and should be a single, it means a lot man,” he continued in relation to “Secrets.”
Serani broke down how the collaboration came about as the single did not originally include the African pop star.
“I happened to hear the beat, through my engineer and the persons he was working with at the studio, and liked it. It sounded slightly unfinished, so I had a guitarist add to it and in no time, I had three verses recorded on the rhythm … Burna Boy was nowhere in the picture. My manager sent it to Burna Boy’s people and from there a recording relationship developed, which transpired into Secret, featured on the now Grammy-nominated album, and we are awaiting the final cut for the video,” he mentioned.
Serani also broke down his thought process for making a beat as he aims to please not just Jamaican, but a wider international market, “Before thinking about being nominated, for example, when making beats, it is always so that not only local music lovers and the diaspora can find it relatable, but to have like Beyonce doing the dutty wine. That’s world music. There are so many different things I do to make my music reach further than just a regular Jamaican artiste.”
The 62nd Grammy Awards will be held on January 26, 2020, at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
