Today (May 19) marks the official release of reggae journeyman Droop Lion’s newest album, Ideologies.
Described as “a profoundly simple, yet rather eclectic mix which brilliantly explores and exposesmultiple layers of musical genres including roots, rock and reggae”, Ideologies is available both as a hard copy and also on various digital platforms.
Comprising 14 tracks, this destined-for-success album includes songs such as Have You Ever Seen The Rain, Pray For Them, Ganja Baby, fan favourite Freeway, Leaders Sell Out, Modern Slavery, Rags To Riches; Screaming, Katta, You Can’t Hurt Her, Time For Love, Talk About It, Jah Wind is Blowing and Lockdown.
Each song has its own distinctive flavour that evokes a response from the avid listener, whether it is a cool slow jam or arollicking 'pull up'. Sheer, undiluted passion is the commonthread which easily connects all the songs on this set, which will undoubtedly fulfil the singer’s vow to “make Reggae great again.”
According to Droop Lion, “There’s a special song on it for everyone … and some persons will find more than one special song.
“We took the decision to do just one cover, and that is the lead single, Have You Ever Seen The Rain, and from the response, it seems like we made a great choice,” added the Rastafarian singer with the signature, soul-searing voice.
Have You Ever Seen The Rain was released on March 17 to critical acclaim.
Ideologies lists Cabel Stephenson and Tameka Reynolds as executive producers and VPal Records as distributors.
KINGSTON, JAMAICA: Having released the debut single from
his destined-for-success 14-track album, Ideologies,
Rastafarian singer Droop Lion is enthusiastically looking forward to
taking his all-embracing message of love and unity to the entire music world.
The first single, Have
You Ever Seen The Rain, was released on all digital platforms on March 15,
and, already music critics have been hailing it as "a true
masterpiece" and a "reggafied work of art", proving to Droop
Lion and his team that their decision to use this song as the lead single was
indeed on point. Well, truth be told, Have You Ever Seen The Rain has
already sold over 25 million copies during the decade of the
seventies for the original singers, roots rock group Creedence Clearwater
Revival. However, this version, while not straying far from the original, still
manages to give fans that signature Droop Lion sound, feel and appeal.
"We wanted to
keep the nostalgia in the song, so during the production we refrained from
changing up the lyrics, but at the same time, we made subtle changes which
infused a different kind of vibration in the song. But, at the end of the day,
we all know that a classic is a classic and you can't improve on that, you can
only interpret and hope that fans will appreciate your interpretation,"
explained Droop Lion, who noted that he was looking forward to meeting the
original singers/song-writer.
Meanwhile, the Free
People Entertainment recording artiste continues his exciting musical journey
with what will be predominantly a media tour, which kicks off on May 12 and
runs through to May 28. He will traverse through Europe, making stops along
the way in countries including the UK, France, Germany, Finland, Spain
and Italy. Noting that the aim is to solidify his already burgeoning
status on the European continent, Droop Lion was full of praise for his fans
there who, he says continue to show his amazing love.
"It is always a joy
to be in Europe," he said. "The respect and admiration is mutual and
I am really looking forward to connecting with the members of the media and
through them, speak to my fans. Just want to give a shout out to all the media
people all over who have been gracious enough to give us air time, print space
and your overall support. It means a lot to me," stated the singer, who
emerged as one of the leading voices of a new reggae-soul movement.
Droop Lion added that
fans in Europe will see him in action on May 14 when he is scheduled
to perform in London.
Kingston, JAMAICA:- Following on their super successful 25-date
European tour in
February, and the subsequent dizzying round of festivals in
the summer, Droop Lion and The Gladiators are back on Jamaican soil,
recuperating, reflecting and ready for intense studio work. Whereas, The
Gladiators are seasoned hands at the touring game and know exactly how to
circumvent the many potential pitfalls, Droop Lion is learning, and learning
quickly too.
Droop Lion, who has been
relatively newly-baptised as lead singer of the legendary reggae group,
makes no claims to being a monk, or any such holy figure, however, when on
tour, his circumspect behaviour has led to such questionings. But, being the
soul that he is, Droop takes this all in his stride and maintains his Rastafari
livity. An ardent musical ambassador, whose choice of on-stage rainment – a
gown – makes him somewhat of an ethereal figure, Droop makes no apologies for
his conscious decision to let his music do all the talking.
“I learnt a long time
ago that you can’t mix business with pleasure,” the humble, yet outspoken,
reggae singer said. “Especially when the business that you are in
involves excess amount of hype. I enjoy being on stage and I also enjoy interacting
with fans, taking pictures and signing autographs, because that is another
important aspect of the business. But we all know how the world set up, as long
as there are so called ‘celebrities’, there will always be those persons who
want to get intimate,” he noted.
But Droop Lion has been
so resistant of crossing that invisible line, that one female fan in Europe was
forced to ask him quite seriously, “Tell me something, are you a monk?”
Laughing as he recalled the situation, Droop Lion admitted that the question
took him by surprise, mainly because it was asked with such deep concern. He
did his best to reassure her, with words only, that he was no monk, but whether
or not she believed is quite another matter.
Droop Lion, who is
managed by Free People Entertainment, has maximum respect for manager
Cabel “Jeffrey” Stephenson. “Jeffrey is one of those persons who manages
his artistes, the artistes cannot manage him. On the road, his experience is
second to none. When I perform on stage for two hours three and four times per
week, he knows the regimen for the voice to ensure that it sounds clear for the
entire tour – the voice exercise, the special mixtures to keep it pure, and of
course, nothing beats good rest. When on tour, we are so focused on getting to
the next venue, putting things in place and pleasing fans, that we don’t have
time to mess around … or even feel the need to,” the singer explained.
Droop Lion’s
recently-concluded European tour saw him and The Gladiators giving fantastic
performances at the Selestat Bal des Petits Hommes, Verts France;
Barcelona Trash ‘n’ Ready, Spain; Antwerp Sfinks, Belgium; Lescar Pau Festival,
Emmaus France; Hyères Festival, France; Nice Theatre de Verdure, France;
Garda Mandstock Festival, Italy; Les Vans Festival Ard'afrique, the Vieu Boucau
Arènes, Chambéry Plein Air, Béziers Féria and the Fraisans No Logo Festival,
all in France; Chiemsee Reggae Festival, Germany; Benicassim Rototom, Spain and
Bielawa Regalowisko, Poland.
Kingston, Jamaica:
- To those who have been
tracking the career path of reggae singer, Droop Lion, it comes as
no surprise to learn that he has formed a lasting bond with veteran reggae
group, The Gladiators. In fact, it would be perfectly true to say that a merger
of this nature was inevitable.
Having savoured success
in 2012 with the hit single, Freeway, Droop Lion, in a
passionate interview stated: "I want to do the real thing and bring back
the music to the real foundation feel. I want to immerse myself with the elders
... they are the roots, they have trod this path before and they know it better
than we. So who better to learn from?"
Although Droop Lion
didn’t know it at the time, he was charting his own destiny with those daring
words. The answer to that almost rhetorical question was, The Gladiators,
hailed as one of the most exciting groups from the golden age of roots with
extraordinary albums to their name from Coxsone Dodd's Studio One and also on
the English recording label Virgin. Come 2014, and Droop Lion, the singer who
possesses a voice that is twice his own size and weight, is touring
Europe as lead singer for this enduring roots reggae band which had its genesis
in the year 1966. Over the decades, The Gladiators have blazed trails, toured
consistently and have proven to be a favourite on the big reggae festivals
across the length and breath of Europe.
Interestingly, Droop
Lion is the nephew of original Gladiators member David Webber, and, naturally
he grew up on songs from their catalogue. However, he never, ever dreamed that
one day he would be so favoured to not only go on tour, but to also record an
album with this legendary group, doing classics such as Bongo
Red, Hello Carol, Jah Works and Burning and
Looting. In February of this year, Droop Lion completed 25
sold-out dates across Europe as lead singer of The Gladiators and he recently
returned to Jamaica from his second tour with the group. With this being
festival season in Europe, the brief break lasted one and half weeks, after
which they left for Europe last Wednesday, for another relentless round of
shows. The 15-city tour officially kicked off on July 25 and saw the group
doing shows in three different countries - France, Spain and Belgium - one
after the other, with other dates including countries such as Germany, Italy and
Poland.
“It’s just Jah works,”
Droop Lion said of the fruitful merger between him and The Gladiators and the
Clive Hunt/Cabel Stephenson-produced album entitled The Gladiators
Featuring Droop Lion – Back On Tracks. “Gladiators is a brand that has
been around for 50 years and I have to give them the thumbs up for embracing me
without hesitation and allowing me to experience first-hand the real meaning of
partaking in the feast of the elders,” he continued.
He confessed that being
on stage in Europe and feeling the intense vibrations of singing a Gladiators
song, followed by a Droop Lion song is an experience that has brought him to
tears. “I am just overcome with emotions and the tears just spill forth. Tears
of gratitude for the many layers of goodness that this union has uncovered,
tears of pure joy and tears of love,” said the musical ambassador who is signed
to Free People Entertainment.
Fresh off the heels of his Reggae Sumfest performance, where
dancehall/reggae star I-Octane closed the prestigious e
Duane - I-Octane - Droop Lion
vent’s Dancehall Night
for the very first time, there was not much opportunity to bask in the success
of his Sumfest outing, as I-Octane, along with Duane Stephenson and Droop Lion,
made the trek to Nevis where they performed at a charity event.
On Friday, August 2, more than 2,800 people came out to see the
performances.
The line-up for the event saw young artistes from Nevis and St.
Kitts getting their shine in the opening segment, before Droop Lion, who has
the number one song (Mama Soon Come) in the island, made his presence
felt.
Next up was Duane Stephenson, who delivered a rather smooth
performance, and had the females in the audience screaming like crazy, as he
delivered favourites like, Cottage In Negril, Ghetto Pain, Think Twice,
August Town and even got a great response for his new single, Rasta
For I.
It was then I-Octane who once again had closing honours, and as
expected, he had the place in total pandemonium, as patrons were singing his
songs word for word, from Lose A Friend to Happy Time.
Needless to say, he had three encores for his efforts.
Octane then ordered the security to free up backstage so that
fans could have access to him, and of course his wish was granted and fans were
elated.
The event, organized by Tender Care International, was put on to
raise money to buy equipment for the Alexandra hospital in Nevis.
One person who attended the event was extremely grateful for the
Jamaican contingent of artistes who decided to lend their talents for a
charitable cause, saying, “the people in Nevis need so much, and trust me they
have nothing really. If they want to test their blood for example, they have to
send it to St. Kitts, something so simple they can't afford to do it. So for
the artistes to support the cause by using their talent then we must big them
up, and they are true Jamaican ambassadors.”
Kingston, Jamaica: - The year 2013 is certainly looking to be the breakout year for
rising reggae entertainer, Droop Lion. The Freeway singer
made his exciting debut in Europe in April, to much acclaim, and the series of
shows continues throughout the month of May.
Continuing with a performance in Amsterdam on May 15, Droop Lion
moved on to Rotterdam, Reims, Colmar, Paris and Guyancourt, soothing fans with
a combination of his trademark “big voice” and his riveting lyrical content.
The Rastafarian artiste has been eliciting rave reviews from critics and fans
alike all over the continent, as he has kept his vow to let his music do the
talking.
“It is a joy to be here in Europe on tour singing for the people
and building up a fan base. Being on tour gives you a new appreciation for the
power of Reggae music and it ignites a new passion within to be the best Reggae
ambassador that you can possibly be,” Droop Lion noted.
“The energy level is incredible – both on the road while
travelling in the tour bus from one city or country to the next and also when
we reach the venues to perform. Everyone is in harmony and Jah is definitely
our guide. Give thanks to Capleton for inviting me to be a part of this
mystical, musical experience and also to the Prophecy Band for providing the
music,” the young Lion stated.
Droop Lion’s European trip climaxes on May 25 with a
stop in Helsinki, where he is scheduled to wrap up his nine-city tour at the
Wildlife Festival, held annually in Finland. Wildlife Helsinki takes place from
the 24th to the 26th and, this year, the
Prophet Capleton is the headline act for the Saturday night. Droop Lion has
been the opening act for Capleton on this tour.
The reggae singer makes his return to Jamaica at the end of May
and will go straight into studio to continue the production of his debut album,
on which he is collaborating with ‘A’ list producers, musicians and artistes.
Droop Lion savoured his first taste of success with the single, Freeway,
which he followed up with the soothing Pray for Them, a song
he says he penned after a flood a few years ago, which saw two men being washed
away in the Sandy Gully. Other standout songs in his steadily growing
repertoire include Lock down, a protest song against police
brutality, and the thought-provoking Long Way Down.
KINGSTON JAMAICA - Reggae singer Droop Lion, has clearly hitched
his wagon to a star for 2013. He started off the year riding high on the
acclaim he received at hardcore stage-show Sting in December 2012, and followed
it up with yet another memorable performance at the
recently-concluded, Follow The Arrow.
Indicating that he was
more than ready for the big times, Droop Lion is credited with really getting
the star segment of the show started at Follow The Arrow and the crowd showed
their fulsome appreciation. As expected, his signature song, Freeway,
caused quite a stir, but Droop was able to command the attention of the mixed
crowd for his entire 15-minute set. And, having achieved his goal of making
local audiences start singing his songs when they hear his name, Droop Lion and
his management feel that the time is right for the artiste to spread his wings
globally.
Come April 12, the
singer with the big voice will hit the road in a meaningful way, as he gears up
for his debut European tour which will see him taking centrestage as the
opening act for the acclaimed reggae artiste, Capleton. Droop, who has been
spending numerous hours in rehearsals, confesses that he is both excited
and cautious at the same time.
“Touring is what every
artiste dreams of,” he stated, “and
I am humbled to know that I will be embarking on my first real tour of Europe
as the opening act for a reggae artiste of the caliber of Capleton. In some
ways, touring is like facing the unknown…you have to interact with fans, many
of whom don’t even speak your language, and that can be a bit daunting. But at
the end of the day, music is the universal language and I will be speaking
through my songs,” Droop Lion explained.
A quick look at his
itinerary shows that the reggae artiste has a tight schedule with all of 13
shows booked between April 12 and April 26, during which time he will be
traversing through France and Italy. Among the venues in France for
April are La Rodia in Besancon;, Salle Bernard Pfeiffer in Les Arcs; Le
Transbordeur in Lyon; - Les Passagers du Zinc in Avignon; Victoire 2 in
Montpellier and Le Moulin in Marseille. Italian cities which will host the
reggae artiste include Rome, Lecce, Sicily, Milan and Venice.
The tour is on
schedule to last for six weeks and will also encompass Austria, Finland,
Germany and Holland.
Droop Lion savoured
his first taste of success with the single, Freeway, which he followed up with
the soothing Pray for Them, a song he says he penned after a flood a few years
ago, which saw two men being washed away in the Sandy Gully. Other standout
songs in his steadily growing repertoire include Lockdown, a protest song
against police brutality, and the thought-provoking Long Way Down.
Kingston, Jamaica - It has long been accepted that music moves in
cycles, and critics are pointing to a powerful revolution in the year 2013, as
cultural lyrics seem set to dominate. Among the artistes destined to rise to
this momentous musical occasion is a reggae singer named Droop Lion.
Confident and
empowered lyrically and linguistically, this Rastafarian standard-bearer has
been making his presence felt musically for a minute, and he is eager to made
an indelible mark in this music. Droop Lion, who performed at Sting as a member
of The Fantastic Four, which also featured Iba Mahr, Chronixx and Jahsent, is
the embodiment of this not-to-be-ignored crop of talented acts ready for the
spotlight.
His signature
single, Freeway, dominated FM radio for several months in
2012, however, in an interesting twist, some person who were gustily singing
the song were unable to put a face to the single.
“One of the things
that I had to get used to was the fact that people who love the song always
express surprise when seeing me in the flesh,” Droop laughed. “They usually say
they thought I was older because of my voice and they also comment that they
thought I was bigger in body,” the singer with the memorable voice states.
With 2013 opening its
doors, Droop Lion is happy that the people are ready to receive him. “I am one
of the youths to bring this new paradigm and right now my antennas are up and I
am preparing myself to do a good job,” states the singer who pays tribute to
Seretse Small, Mallory Williams, Allah and Clive Hunt as some of the persons in
the business who have contributed to his career.
Cognizant of the
important role of the elders in the business, Droop Lion never shies away from
an opportunity to sit at their feet and drink in the knowledge they have to
impart, and it is this attitude, that many say, is leading to his inevitable
success.
“I want to do the real
thing and bring back the music to the real foundation feel. I want to
immerse myself with the elders…they are the roots, they have trod this path
before and they know it better than we, so who better to learn from?” he
questioned.
Having set the pace
with Freeway, another single, which is now receiving
some love on the airwaves is, Pray for Them, a song he says
he penned after a flood a few years ago, which saw two men being washed away in
the Sandy Gully.
For Droop Lion, who
pens all his lyrics, he is not short on inspiration as "it's all
around".
“I just pray that Jah
keeps me balanced so that I can always sing some inspiring songs for people…I
want to give solutions to the people,” states the singer, who is represented by
Free People Music.
Other standout songs
include Lockdown, a song of protest against police
brutality, and Long Way Down, a critique of the intelligent
political leaders who have failed the nation with their corrupt policies and
greed, and the terrible choices that poverty often forces on the downtrodden
and deprived.
“Most of the songs are
based on the ‘livity’ in society, the common movements which shows that the
people’s brains are in a lapse and mek poor choices and sell their souls. I
want music to be real, I have to sing about the real issues that take place in
the society,” Droop explained.
Born September 15,
1980 in the parish of St. Mary Jamaica, to Inez Aikens and Vivian Brown, Andrew
Brown aka Droop Lion grew up in the tough, gritty shanties of Kingston. He lost
his mother to gun violence when he was just nine months old. He turned to music
to express himself and make a spiritual connection with the universe. At a
young age under the guidance of his grandmother, he vowed to stick to the
conscious path and not compromise in order to achieve success.
Now ready to harness
that success, Droop Lion remain committed, focused and ready to take charge.
