LOCKED DOWN BY a love for reggae, Erskine Kullurd Proverbs is looking to make his musical mark on the entertainment scene.
A double awardee at last year’s National Independence Festival Of Creative Arts (NIFCA), the singer/songwriter is gearing up for the release of his first “official” single at the end of the month.
“[Lockdown] is a song that was inspired by a friend of mine,” he explained in an interview at Nation Publishing’s Fontabelle, St Michael office. “We met and we start talking and he kept saying to me that . . . The whole place on lockdown.
“Those words start to resonate with me and I started to write the song, [which] talks about all the negative things that are going on in the world . . . in terms of people not having access to food, shelter, [and] just the basic things in life. There got to be a better way. Too many people under sufferation.”
Lockdown was also the song which earned him the recognition NIFCA. He was encouraged to enter by manager Rachel Gray.
“I didn’t enter with the expectation to receive [awards]. I entered to showcase my talent because that’s it what it is about. These things come as a bonus . . . ,” the soft-spoken singer explained.
“It felt good to be performing because that is our premium cultural event and it is one that any local artiste should be proud to be in it.”
Kullurd had previously recorded music, but admitted they were “released” solely on Facebook.
“I didn’t feel like they were at the standard they needed to be at, so they were not released as such,” he said.
Although the reggae artiste’s star is now starting to rise, it represents years of work writing and rehearsing. Kullurd, a truck driver by day, explained that music was constantly on his mind.
“The music never stopped coming to me. I was always writing or singing myself . . . .,” he added with a laugh. “I felt that it sounded good enough for other people to hear.”
Embracing the name of his childhood which was given because of the dark hue of his skin, Braddie’s Bar was the site of his first and perhaps most memorable performance.
“ . . . It was funny too because the DJ couldn’t find my music,” he recalled with a smile. “People started to boo . . . and get all upset, but when they found it and I started to sing, those same people run and hug me and [the mood] transform. It was one of the best experiences in my life.”
This led to an invitation to perform alongside Jamaican dancehall artiste Munga. Other notable moments in his career included a performance at the 2012 Bajan Reggae Night, which is a part of the Digicel Reggae Festival. In the previous year, Kullurd has also been featured with local reggae star Albert Olton and the Revalayshun Band, which he credited as an essential learning experience.
“[Olton] did some weekly performances at [Reggae] Lounge and he lives close to me. We got in contact and he told me to come and do my thing . . . . This was the first time playing with a live band and it was so much different than singing with a track,” he continued.
As the musician continues to build a local fan base, he is also setting his sights internationally.
“Reggae is a music for peace and love and every reggae artiste has those messages. What makes my music different is that I am Kullurd and I am not trying to be like anyone else.”
