It’s Valentine’s Day and the CBC’s Jennifer Van Evra has thoughtfully compiled this Maple music collection to get us thinking about romantic interludes and loves past and present.
The Jamaican dancehall star talks about his role in the global breakthrough of dancehall music, his collabs with stars like Rihanna and Sia and the important role that Canada played in his early career.
"Canada has influenced my music in many ways," says Sean Paul.
The Jamaican star is the subject of the first episode of Billboard Canada News, live now on YouTube.
In a revealing half-hour interview hosted by Alicia West, Paul talks about the important role that Canada played in his come-up. He guested on the Baby Blue Sound Crew song "Money Jane" with Toronto hip-hop and R&B heroes Kardinal Offishall and Jully Black.
"I was just telling somebody last night. They asked me who was the first person to put you on, give you a collab? And I said Kardi. Kardi Offishall," he says. "First person to pay me, first person to put me on a track, I always say."
He also talks about shooting important breakthrough music videos "Gimme The Light" and "Get Busy" with Canadian director Director X (then Little X) and dancer/choreographer Tanisha Scott, both longtime collaborators. His connection goes back even further, with his grandfather living in Scarborough, Ontario when he was young.
It's a wide-ranging conversation about his whole career, from his biggest chart hits to his collaborations with major pop stars like Rihanna and Sia. He also talks about his support of Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa.
Watch the full interview on Billboard Canada News below:
