Aidonia Says He Does Not Perform In Bars And Grills, But Locks Stadiums
Thunderous Clap artist Aidonia says he is not a “bar and grill” artist, performing to tiny audiences overseas, but one who locks stadiums and huge nightclubs all by himself, everywhere he goes.
According to the JOP artist, he is not one to brag about his accolades, which might be mistaken by some for being nonchalant.
“Rememba seh mi nuh work inna bar and grill enuh. Mi nuh work inna restaurant. When mi travel a stadiums and Amazura by myself and dem ting deh. Suh mi huh haffi fit eena nuttn. Lead wi lead out,” he said during a recent interview with Television Jamaica’s Anthony Miller.
“Wi deh pon a different level from wha a gwaan. An dis a nuh hype talk, but yuh know wha, yuh haffi jus talk caw more time humility and through wi humble, and wi easy more time, people tend to feel seh like ray, but check the stats. When wi guh inna di Caribbean, a stadium by wiself; check di stats,” he continued.
Aidonia also made it clear that he has what it takes to maintain his large and loyal fan base within and outside Jamaica.
“When wi guh a America, a nuh bar an grill some place weh dem cook food and clean it out an dout yuh in dere. Yuh mad? Yuh caan put Diddy deh suh. A Amazura an dem place deh. A lie? By wiself. Six and seven thousand strong! Suh mi nuh need fi fit een. Mi a stand out. And mi a stand out fi years now!”
According to Aidonia, he remains a “big” artiste whether or not he is releasing songs continuously, and sees no need to “fit in” to be considered “hot” or “trending”, as while trending deejays dime a dozen in the music business, he is in a league of his own, and his musical moves are well-calculated.
“Big artiste different from hot artiste yuh nuh. Mi nuh have nuttn more fi prove. Cause a di end a di day, mi name still haffi call, cause a di work weh wi do. Suh wi jus a pace wiself and naw burn out wiself, caw yuh know Jamaican people dem mind work fast enuh,” he stated.
“Hits different from Vevo views and trending an dem stuff deh. Mi nuh trend; mi hit,” he added. “Yuh si who nuh get a real hit song inna dem two years deh, it naw play tonight, because it jus trend fi a day and then a next man come trend and a next man come trend.”
For Aidonia, he sees no imminent threat in Dancehall, to push him to fast-track his releases.
“Anytime mi feel threatened inna di music, mi forward. Right now mi nuh feel threatened. Mi deh-deh same way, yuh zimi,” he added.
Aidonia also said that he has learnt over the years that keeping oneself scarce, makes the value go up, while appearing commonplace and too available, makes an artiste’s value go down.
“Just constantly inna dem face hurt a lot a artiste. Wi learn dat from Shabba, di Bujus, yuh can keep it exclusive, yuh nuh,” he explained.
According to the Meadowbrook High School old boy, music in Jamaica tends to work in tandem with the island’s holiday and celebratory periods, when the major shows are usually staged, and he has orchestrated his releases to be in line with this.
“Jamaican music work offa like holidays, yu know: Easter, Summer Christmas. Suh once yuh hot inna dem season deh, a it dat,” he stated.
The 41-year-old, whose given name is Sheldon Lawrence, hinted at a return to the limelight, with summer fast approaching, noting that the real hitmakers are the ones who will reign supreme.
“Suh a just di real hits dem stand out. An right now when di show dem forward now, yuh a guh si who an who deh pon di show dem; jus di one dem weh realy have hit song or di one dem weh current right now. Suh yuh just haffi smart…summer round di corner, yuh seet…. a mad ting man,” he said.
Aidonia, a former member of Bounty Killer’s Alliance, is known for hit songs such as Yeah Yeah, Caribbean Girls, Nuh Boring Gyal, and Dat Eazy.
He is set to perform at Reggae Sumfest on July 22.