Interview: Omi Says He Is Not A Dancehall Artist, “I am a Musician, Singer-Songwriter”

Omi is drawing a second gear as he enters the next phase of his music career. His new single T.M.I. joins a discography that has surpassed 2.1 billion streams on Spotify. The Hula Hoop singer has experienced global success in the music business when his breakout hit Cheerleader went to No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart,unltumately peaking for six non-consecutive weeks. The sing which was originally released in 2012 got a remix from Felix Jaehn and became the summer anthem for 2015. Cheerleader was certifed 3x Platinum by the Recording Indistry Association in the US for selling 3 million units. Overin the U.K. It peaked at the top of the singles chart and is certified 4x Platinum in for selling 2.4 million in that country as well as earning Platinum, DIamond and multi-Platinum status in 12 more countries.

With the popularity of the song, Taylor Swift invited him for select dates on her “1989 World Tour”{2015}. Since then the Clarendon born singer has been largely missing from the international scene. Omi sat with World Music Views for an exclusive interview about his plans for a future in the business of music.

How would you describe yourself?

very cool, jovial and introverted. I love music and I love the business of music. I love the artistic part of music and I am just a guy who loves to be multi-faceted.

Did you play instruments as a child?

Well no, but remember being a born Jamaican you are kinda predisposed to music and the whole culture. Jamaica is a melting pot for different cultures and ethnicities. You have Bob(Marley), Peter Tosh, and all these great musicians who are recognized worldwide. My father was a singer-songwriter- Kenroy Pasley. So he died when I was nine years old and I think even a lot of my success and what I do I do in his honor.

Was music part of what you would have wanted to do professionally?

I actually wanted to be a cartoonist. I do Visual Arts, I am good at drawing and I watched a lot of cartoons growing up. I always wanted to entertain. So growing up I used to write poems, and during high school years I started meeting different people and started dabbling into music, and I realized I have the ability to sing and I started recording in an underground studio at age 19, started recording and playback and that’s when the love kids grew.

You were a policeman?

That happened some years after, I always wanted to serve and I tried for the JDF(Jamaica Defense Force) and the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force), it’s a chapter of my life that I wouldn’t trade.

When did that magical moment happen when you moved from 9-5 guy to the guy in the studio all night and what was that transition like?

I am used to drill routines coming from the JCF, and I met Clifton “Specialist” Dillion while I was in training. Even though he was advised to pull me out of training and we jump straight into a music career, he insisted that I stay there and get the lesson of discipline and everything that comes with it. It played a major role in how I function in the music business and how I maintain my character in the music business for so long.

The police training actually help?

Yes, it helped with the discipline, in how militant I am, how stoic I am.

This whole game of music business is about marketing, how have you maneuvered the changes in the marketplace because you previously had unprecedented success?

Social media is a huge medium right now because it is so accessible and people are connected to their phones. When you can tap into that you can use it to your advantage. I am not a social media guy, I am a private person and I have a ton of business going but when it comes time to promote and push a project that’s the best thing.

What was the experience like marketing Cheerleader?

The song was more known than the artist so it was a pleasant experience for me and how they received me. Rather than push the character then pushed the song it was a lot easier because of the love the song received before I got there.

Where are some of the best places you have been?

Malta, Gibraltar, that’s a place I have always heard about and actually went there and meeting different celebrities who are killing the game kinda made it for me.

How difficult is it to be humble?

That’s my true self because the minute you start feeling yourself a little too much that is a distraction.

What is your fanbase called?

Omi Army.

For the Omi Army, you have a new song so are you expecting them to grow with you?

I do expect them to grow with me. A lot of my fanbase came on board after Cheerleader in 2015, but before in 2012 I was making music that is true and relatable to my culture. But what I have to say to my fanbase is that an artist should be able to create and shouldn’t be put in a box. So far the response I have been getting is my fans have been open to my ideas. We have to baby step them and for the most part they have been receptive.

Are you a dancehall artist?

No, I am a musician. I am a singer-songwriter and I write for other people. We always have a dog Inna the fight and that’s the business mind I want a lotta artist to have. Do not be one dimensional because at some point we want to be able to have a diversified portfolio.

Do you own your masters?

You have to, that is your legacy, there should be some amount of negotiation where that is concerned in order to secure that. yes you are out here making music for the love of it but it is the music business. You are not gonna know everything immediately but you should go around people who are knowledgeable and listen.

How was the experience working with a record label and would you sign with another label?

At least not for right now. It is no secret what goes one when an artist is signed to a record label in terms of freedom to create and certain things. At some point artists should have that freedom to create.

Where do you want to go as an artist?

As an artist I want to continue working behind the scenes, still creating music and I want to diversify in terms of business and create other opportunities as well not necessarily relating to music.

Are you gonna sign the next OMI?

I don’t believe there can be a next OMI, an artist cannot be replicated, each person has their own fingerprint and DNA and purpose. If I should be signing anyone they must display self awareness and direction.