Dancehall-s latest sensation sits down with Splash to discuss finding success and happiness through a music career, plans for his future and how overcoming hardship helped breathe life into his eternal passion.
STRIDING into the Natural Bridge Studios on Dumbarton Avenue in Kingston on a bright and crisp Saturday afternoon, dancehall entertainer Konshens is in a very upbeat mood, arriving from a recording session at a studio located elsewhere in the Corporate Area. Tall as a model with the looks to match, and dressed in full black (shirt, short pants, sneakers, a cap and a backpack), the 23-year-old has reason to bask in the glow of his newfound success - and it-s no wonder he exudes confidence.
Not only is his hypnotic single Winner (and several others) blazing the airwaves and music video playlists across the country and the oceans, he has the clubs and everybody in the streets nodding their heads to the groovy beat and spitting the well-written lyrics word for word. But has he allowed the blossoming fame and success to get to his head? From all indications, he-s taking it all in stride unself-consciously.
"I like to think that success is a journey instead of destination and I-ve been on this musical journey for a while now so I don-t allow all the attention to get to my head or distract me from the bigger things I want to accomplish," he tells Splash, seated behind a production table in the dimly-lit studio. "I-m really proud of the song and the response it has been receiving from people out there. It feels good," he says of the hit single, which references family, ambition and achieving the finer things in life.
At the same time, he plays down the controversy that has materialised concerning the song-s second verse, which talks about making money whether the means are "legal or illegal".
"It is not about promoting anything negative. The song actually started out as a poem after the birth of my daughter February last year. It was about the mood I was in. And a while after that the poem became a song. What the song is reflecting is my thoughts and mindset at the time it was written," he stresses, sounding like a parent explaining his child-s actions.
Controversy aside, Konshens is on a roll these days with a strong management team behind him and the self-determination and ambition one needs to compete in today-s overcrowded dancehall landscape.
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