By Cherisse M. Sutton-Jeffers
Reporter SKNVibes.com

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - WITH locks like a lion’s mane cascading down his back, Philip 7, a Barbadian singer, is known for his versatile ways of conquering a number of genres including reggae, rock, R&B, pop and even soca.

Born Philip Scantelbury, he has been a part of the music industry for the past 16 years, getting his start from an ‘acapella’group called Suave. He has also been a member of three other bands, two of which he founded and all of which made him into the musical genius he is today. 

In 2007 Scantelbury was awarded Best Rock/Alternative Artiste at the Third Annual Barbados Music Awards, from where he moved on and focused attention solely on himself. And at the 2008 Crop Over he displayed the soca side of him and thrilled persons with the release of his first soca song ‘Bring De Wuk’.

His unique style of various genres can be heard on his new album ‘Masala’, which means a blend of spices. Released in February 2009, Masala features 12 tracks, five of which were penned by him.

Singles like ‘Beautiful Surprise’, ‘Space and Time’ and ‘Looking For’ have been receiving great feedback so far, according to the singer. He said after the release of the first one, people kept asking about others as they were anxious to hear what the multitalented artiste had in store for them.

 Adding to the success of the multi-genre album, leading Jamaican producers including Stephen McGregor, Donovan Germaine and Richard ‘Shams’ Browne also added their expertise.

In an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, Scantelbury said he recently concluded a tour in Jamaica where he promoted his album and ‘Looking For’ single. He said he also shot and premiered the video in Jamaica, adding that it was directed by leading Jamaican Director Jay‘Game Over’ Will.

The artiste was all smiles when asked about his visit to Jamaica. He said he was well-received and felt very welcomed by the people on that island. Meanwhile, his next tour takes place in Trinidad next month, as he also gears up for ‘Sun Splash’ in Jamaica scheduled for July.  

Scantelbury said by passing through all these different genres of music, he has learnt that “music is music; it’s all about the feel, all you have to do is change the beat and it becomes something totally different”; while adding that ‘Alternative Rock’ will also be his favorite as it brings out natural animal behaviours in people.  

He told SKNVibes that plans for a second album are in train and he hopes to release it later this year or early next year.