Irie FM has launched its 2023 music awards and dancehall artist Valiant has received his first set of award nominations for a career that started on November 2022.
Valiant is nominated for 8 Irie FM Awards including three in the Song of the year category: St Mary, North Carolina and Dunce Check. He is also up for Male DJ of the year, Slang on the year – “Kotch E hat a lie”, and “Fada” and Male Singjay of the year.
WMV marked Valiant as one of the artist to watch for 2023. Fashion publication Vogue has since echoed that prediction.
British Vogue writer Amel Mukhtar noted in her assessment that the DJ who got his break via TikTok in November last year is making huge waves. She wrote:
“Making huge waves in Jamaica (making history as the first artist to have five songs simultaneously top the country’s Youtube chart), Valiant first started to shape the culture through a TikTok, creating a new slang term when he said “Kotch e hat” in a viral video. Valiant used the subsequent attention to release back-to-back hits that have made him an overnight star. He brings his own dark, fervent flow to dancehall, describing his sound as “trappa gospel”.
In the week of December 12, 2022 WMV first reported that Valiant becomes the first artist to have 5 songs in the top 5 in on YouTube in Jamaica when Sciance came in at No. 5 for the third week, St. Mary at No. 4, Dunce Cheque at No. 3, North Carolina at No. 2 and C.A.L (Cut All Losses) at No. 1.
The DJ extended that lead to 7 of the top 10 songs by the end of the year.
He has held that chart dominance on both Apple Music and YouTube in Jamaica since then.
Head of Digital Streams at Pandora Diego Herrera has also predicted Valiant to be one to watch this year in an interview on TVJ.
Meanwhile OVO artist Popcaan picked up 5 nominations for Afrobeats Song Of The Year-“Toni ann Singh” with Burna Boy, Collaboration Of The Year-“Next to me” ft ToniAnn Singh, Collaboration Of The Year – Elevate ft Imeru Tafari, Male DJ Of The Year and Slang Of The Year – “Dat is it.”
Popcaan’s latest album “Great Is He” has debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart after selling 3200 album equivalent units in its first week, 300 of which are pure album copies. The OVO sound project driven by 5 released singles has sold 13,900 album equivalent units during its lifetime.
Although this os one of Popcaan’s highest weekly sales score, it is his weakest chart debut after his previous mixtapes and albums FIXTAPE(2020), Where We Come From(2014), Forever(2018) and Vanquish (2020) all debuted at No. 2 when they were released.
“Great Is He” did not make the Billboard 200 chart but it debuted at No. 14 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.
This is the St. Thomas DJ’s second-full-length project through Drake’s OVO Sound imprint. His previous OVO set was FIXTAPE has so far sold 100,000 album equivalent units in the U.S. since its release on August 7, 2020.
Of that sum pure album sales accounted for 2,000 copies and a total 134M On-demand paid streams. Additionally, the Dancehall album cracked the Top 100on the Billboard 200, coming in at 94th after a combined streams and sales of 686 copies being sold in the first week.
His other album “Forever” released on Mixpak Records two years earlier on July 20, 2018 has so far earned 116,000 album equivalent units. Of that sum 5000 are pure digital album copies and 179m On-Demand streams.
“This process wasn’t easy, but My album is out now go stream it and enjoy it!!” wrote Popcaan on Twitter upon releasing the album. “I appreciate everyone who play their part in getting this project together. i just want to thank God for my talent, my vision and my blessings! … They don’t believe in us but we will prove them wrong.”
-Popcaan
The full list of nominees in the Afrobeats category are Last Last by Burna Boy, Calm Down by Rema, Finess by PHEELZ and BNXN FKA BUJU, Free Minds Tems and Peru by Fire Boy DML and Ed Sheeran.
Peru by Fireboy DML, released July 20, 2021 is now certified Platinum in the U.S. by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) for selling one million units.
For Goolge’s Year in Search 2022, the 10th ‘most searched song was Burna Boy’s “Last Last.”
The song was released in May of this year as the lead single for his 6th solo album “Love Damini” on Atlantic Records/Spaceship label. Since selling out two nights in Madison Square Garden, the African Giant has opened up himself to new audiences in America and across the world which has increased a global demand for his tour.
The breakup anthem Last Last, exploded after he first performed it at the Billboard Music Awards in May, samples Tony Braxton’s Darkchild produced “Wasn’t Man Enough.”
Burna, real name Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, told hosts Gillie and Wallo of Million Dollars Worth Of Game Podcast that he pays 60% of the publishing to Braxton but it was worth it.
“I just wanted to use that sample, and I knew Chopstix(Producer) could do sumn crazy with it, so yeah, I just pointed that shit out and just take it from there , that’s one of the special creative processes ever,” he explained.
Calm Down Remix by Rema and Selena Gomez peaked at No.1 1 on the US Afrobeat Chart.
The Irie FM Awards takes place on March 1 on their YouTube and social media channels.The station celebrates almost 33-years of playing only indigenous Jamaican music.
See full list of nominees on their website.
