On Friday (May 12, 2023) Inner Circle’s 1992 hit record “Sweat (A La La La La Long)” was certified Gold in the U.K. for selling more than 400,000 units in that country by the British Phonographic Industry. Even as the band enjoys their first Brit Certified Gold song, Ian Lewis, co-founder of Inner Circle is cautioning reggae artists who are leaning more to hip hop than their authentic roots music.
Base player Lewis, who along with his brother and guitar player Roger Lewis have remained consistent members of the group told WMV from his Miami based Circle House studios after we informed him of his latest accomplishment that, “The music nowadays sending a strange message to the world but white reggae bands are killing it(doing well).” He said it is the audiences in Europe who are keeping the traditional reggae music alive.
“The average new generation is not interested in reggae, but the average child in Germany, their mothers playing reggae in their house and that’s the difference that is keeping reggae alive,” he clarified.
“If we don’t put a serious dent in the music it don’t make any sense, they took everything we had, the drum and bass stand alone and turned it into EDM music, that was ours,” he remarked.
As for the BritCertified Track “Sweat (A La La La La Long)” Ian said, “It means a lot, it shows that Circle is still current and that people are still listening 20 years after the chune hit, what we did in Europe only Bob Marley did it. We hit number one in several countries.”
“Sweat (A La La La La Long)” peaked at No. 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, No. 3 on the U.K. singles chart and occupied No. 1 spots in Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, Zimbabwe, Isreal and Belgium. It is certified Gold in Austria (25,000) and Netherlands (50,000) and Platinum in Germany (500,000).
Lewis said he got the inspiration to write the track after visiting an old hits party in Jamaica.
“I wrote that song at a Jamaican party and they were just playing different songs in the party. They were playing old hits songs like Alton Ellis, Bob Marley, them long time songs, and I was just looking at the people and the words just come to me,” he recalled to WMV.
“It’s a girl song, you know nowadays Vybz Kartel might be considered old hits but in them days at a Jamaican party old hits, at the time it was Alton Ellis,” he continued.
The music video for the single directed by Mathias Julien has surpassed 100 million views on YouTube.
Three years ago Shakira and Anuel AA sampled the song for Me Gusta which has surpassed 245 million on YouTube and peaked at No. 4 on the US Latin Billboard airplay chart.
As for the future of the legendary group, Lewis said, “We’ve been on the road every weekend and we’re going to Africa, Rwanda and we will be on tour right through till August we will be on the road.”
Inner Circle’s latest song is La Pipa De La Paz with latin singer Daaz released last month.
Lewis also said to look out for a new album with Tarrus Riley and Michael Rose collaboration.
