BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Imagine a song psychologically penned on a freestyle flow out of boredom and becoming one of the most popular hits to date.
Well, such is the reality for one of the Federation’s most famous artiste, 24-year-old Nicha ‘Nicha B’ Byron. If you guessed that the on-the-spot tune was ‘School Time Lover’ – released in 2010 - then you are absolutely right.
Such a surprising, yet interesting, detail was revealed after SKNVibes recently caught up with Nicha B, who disclosed that he is currently working towards putting out his first album, entitled ‘Highly Bless’.
The album is expected to be released in February on the weekend of Nicha B’s birthday, which he normally celebrates on the February 7.
Nicha B said that he has been working on the album all year and some of the songs would be ‘She’s So Royal’, ‘Double Up’, ‘Summer Whine’, ‘Tek It Off’, ‘Beautiful Morning’ and ‘Romantic Love’.
Fans can expect about 10 tracks on the album, plus one as bonus.
As it pertains to the title track, he summed it up as “the song of my life…some of the things that I have been through as an artiste”.
The title track features Creation out of Creation Family International while the tune ‘Tek It Off’ features Tenza Vybz out of Jamaica. ‘She’s So Royal’ was done on a Jamaican/UK beat.
Nicha B explained that the song is about being highly blessed, noting that “everybody got a time on the earth”.
‘Highly Bless’ is currently only blazing on the airwaves, but Nicha B indicated that after launching the album persons could have it on CD.
The song was recorded by Silky Studio, which is owned by fellow national artiste Jahvier ‘Silky’ Hutton of New Road.
Last year Nicha B launched a mix tape that comprises 14 tracks.
Commenting on how he feels about his pending album launch, Nicha B said he is proud of it.
Nicha B is a newly-signed to AGA (Andrew Grant and Agency) label of Trinidad and Tobago and he is expected to travel there shortly on business.
He pointed out that on a radio station in the UK, the ‘Highly Bless’ song received seven ‘pull ups’ and 17 missed calls - the number of missed callers who wanted to request that particular song.
Notably, Nicha B has learnt his lesson about getting caught up in the wrong company. Unfortunately, he lost a few close friends through violence.
In 2007 he had migrated to England and, with a focused mindset and reflection on life, he found the “inner man” within himself and started concentrating more on his music.
Nicha B informed that while in England he did a song for the BBC Peace mix tape and on his return to the Federation in 2009 the free-styled ‘School Time Lover’ tune came about.
“Somebody told me they had a beat and that they wanted me to sing something on the beat. What came to my mind was ‘School Time Lover’. I did that song because I was bored, but from then it’s just been more and more music”, he stated.
Nicha B has been singing for about two and a half years.
Asked about his interest in the music/entertainment industry, Nicha B said: “Music is a part of me. I don’t do it for the fame. Even if I could do it without the fame I would do it just for the love of it.”
He shared that contents of his songs address serious matters, partying and also things that he does and sees each day.
“I try to relate to people as much as I can”, he added.
Reggae and Dancehall are the genres Nicha B is known for, although he did make an exciting soca splash for last year’s Sugar Mas 40/40 with ‘Bounce and Skank’.
For those you who were curious about Nicha B’s apparent absence from the music scene, he informed that he did not have a studio to record. Also, he was busy working on his upcoming album.
Some of his influences in the music industry include Mention of the Nu Vybz International (popularly known as De Sugar Band), Jah Cure, Gappy Ranks, Richie Spice and the late Masud Sadiki.
He however indicated that his top admired artiste in the music industry is Jamaica’s Dancehall/Reggae artiste Konshens.
Nicha B has performed on a number of shows in St. Kitts and Nevis, including as recent as the 16th Annual St. Kitts Music Festival held in June this year.
He has also performed in Antigua at The Coast, where he was the guest artiste for the popular Warren Cassel TV show.
Last year, he journeyed to the island of Barbados where he headlined a live a concert.
Other places he had performed include St. Croix and Tortola.
With regards to Tortola, Nicha B disclosed that everyone on that island loves him and fellow national artiste Kervin ‘Infamus’ Benjamin.
At that point of the interview, he ‘blessed up’ Infamus, Fada Lumpy, Mission, Kash Man and the Southside Family.
Nicha B was recently employed by the Cotton Thomas Comprehensive School (formerly the Special Education Unit), where he works in the Skill-Teaching Department.
He has however been in the teaching profession for five years and previously taught at the Cayon and Saddlers High Schools.
Asked about his experience as a teacher, Nicha B said: “I like to work with children. Children have this genuineness about them.”
Nicha B is the father of a three-year-old boy named Niquan Niziah Byron Skeete.
When asked what it feels like to be a father, he showed this reporter a photo on his BlackBerry phone screen with him and his son together smiling.
He then asked, “What does this picture say to you?”
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words and while this reporter did give her opinion, for Nicha B, having an offspring makes him “feel honourable being a dad. He’s my world. Seeing my son makes me feel like ‘yeah I gotta do this’”.
“He is a lover of my music too”, the artiste shared about his son.
‘Say wha u waan’ as many of his fans, followers and even critics know is his new tag phrase.
Of course, this reporter wanted to know what is the meaning behind that tag phrase.
“Fame has a lot of ups and downs in it. The up side for me is the energy that what mentally, physically and spiritually drives me to be a better artiste. With the downs of the entertainment business however, it has to do with those who intentionally try to break down an artiste by spreading rumours”, he explained.
According to Nicha B, when one becomes a professional one has to deal with everyone professionally, regardless of his or her personal differences, including his or her sexual orientation.
“That doesn’t mean I’m not into what he is into. I’m just being professional”, he remarked
To his mother Sandra Byron, Marlon (out of Trinidad), Sister Sensia, EK, Sugar Bowl and the media, including SKNVibes, and every other person who has shown and continue to show their support, Nicha Byron extends his heart-felt appreciation.
