Dancehall artists always look forward to milestones in their career, but very few can say that they created history for the genre. That’s just what Alkaline will do today as he will become the first hardcore dancehall act to go live on Audiomack’s hit live performance series Fine Tuned.
It seems the artist, whose real name is Earlan Bartley, is making a reemergence as this performance comes on the heels of his announcement that he is preparing to drop his second full-length album, Top Prize.
Alkaline‘s manager, who is also his sister, Kereena Beckford, spoke about the upcoming performance. Beckford said that she was proud of her brother’s hard work and admired the fact that he is always trying to break new ground for dancehall globally.
“It’s going to be special. It will be him and one acoustic guitar and he will be performing (the singles) Cree and Ocean Wave. It’s a big deal for dancehall music because the Fine Tuned programme largely features hip-hop artistes. He will be the first hardcore dancehall artiste to perform on the series and I am excited for the fans to see it,” she said.
Fine Tuned, follows a similar format to the popular 90s hit MTV Unplugged and features artists with a live instrumentalist for a more personal feel when delivering hits. Many well-known artists have already appeared in the series, including Akon, Ne-Yo, and Lil Durk. Kranium, who has a different catalog of music, is the only other Jamaican act to be featured in the series, and that was back in 2019.
Alkaline’s next album is expected to drop May 14 and follows his first one back in 2016 called New Level Unlocked. He’s stuck to the format that he knows, and Top Prize features 14 singles. Fans can expect a “discography of music that is suited for all demographics.”
Beckford said that she believed that Alkaline’s hard work and dedication over the years will come across on this album.
“He has been working over the years and it’s always a good feeling to have a complete package and something that is a project that’s well-executed,” she said. “His fans will be very appreciative of what he has put together. I love it. I am a proud manager and sister to the artiste and talent that is Alkaline.”
