Burna Boy’s new album Love Damini has been getting good reviews since its release on July 7. For Jamaicans and his millions of fans all over the world the track T.A.S. (Toni-Ann Singh), has sent tongues wagging about the Miss Jamaica World Toni-Ann Singh’s relationship with dancehall DJ Popcaan.
World Music Views had an exclusive chat with Popcaan’s manager Amilar “Cobe” Smith who produced the track along with Anju Blaxx.
The song is laced with romantic prophecies, promises and gestures to the fellow St. Thomas native who is yet to confirm if she is dating the Unruly Boss.
“It is originally a Popcaan song but we were in some business with Burna Boy to get a feature so we did a swap” Cobes told World Music Views. A “song swap” is music industry jargon meaning there is the possibility of a Burna Boy feature on Popcaan’s upcoming album “Great Is He.” An album scheduled to drop after the summer.
“Popcaan’s album may drop mid-August early September,” Cobes told World Music Views.
Jamaica has a history of beauty queens being the inspiration for artists and their music and there is a list of those who went on to have intimate relationships, marriage and some have produced children. The most popular among them is Bob Marley and Cindy Breakspeare who was Miss World 1976.
Their union produced reggae legend Damian Marley and Bob Marley is said to have written the songs ‘Turn Your Lights Down Low’ and ‘Waiting in Vain‘ about her.
Miss Jamaica World (2007) and Miss Jamaica Universe (2010) Yendi Phillips had a Public relationship with Big Ship Records Chino Mcgregor with whom she shares a child. Chino made a song titled Miss Universe and dedicated it to her in 2012.
Jamaica World (2009) finalist Kamila McDonald was married to reggae singer Jah Cure and they share a child.
So is Popcaan having his “Bob Marley, Cindy Breakspeare moment” of inspiration? Yes says Cobe.
“I would think so, it’s his Bob Marley moment, it is a nice way to put it,” Cobe told World Music Views with a pleasant uncertainty in his voice.
How the song was made with Burna, he says, “Burna was in Europe when he record his verse and we was in Jamaica and we were going back and forth over Facetime, when him record sumn he would call and add sumn or make changes to it.”
“Popcaan on Burna’s album will open up doors, the world a look pon Burna right now. Popcaan being one of the leader of Dancehall and Burna being one of the leaders of Afrobeats is a good collab. Which is one of the reasons we held off on the album, anywhere between November towards December Africa turn up,” he continued.
Cobe revealed to World Music Views exclusively that there is a video in the making for T.A.S. as the new dancehall couple jet off to the U.K. recently.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CfzHPDyKnJx/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Popcaan has been staying close to hip hop over the years having been signed to Drake’s Ovo label but Cobe says the market share for dancehall shares a border with Afrobeats.
“Afrobeats is our competition now, not in a threatening way but those are the people that are out we competition,” he says.
Love, Damini spawns the singles For My Hand feat. Ed Sheeran, Vanilla, Kilometre and his breakup single Last Last, the latter of which he debuted at his sold-out “One Night in Space” show in NYC’s Madison Square Garden in April. The African giant performed both songs at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas’ MGM Garden Arena the following month.
“Last Last” samples Toni Braxton’s “He Wasn’t Man Enough,” and the Grammy-winning artist explained that he is paying 60% of the royalties to Braxton for use of her hit single. The album also features, Kehlani, Blxst, Khalid, J Balvin, J Hus, and more.
Love, Damini is the follow-up to Burna’s 2020 album Twice as Tall, which reached No. 1 on the World Albums chart and debuted at No. 54 on the all-genre Billboard 200.
Last Last peaked at No. 20 on the U.K. official singles chart.
