The world of urban music has never been so exciting as it is now, with dancehall, r&b and hip hop dominating the international charts; a garage act winning the Mercury Music Prize and a Jamaican reggae deejay, Sean Paul, emerging as one of the top three best-selling acts in America. The doors are wide open, and there's a new generation of gifted young artists just waiting to take advantage. Where the UK is concerned, all the talk is about Savana, whose two hits, Dilemma and All I Have, epitomise this fresh spirit of adventure to perfection. Like Sean Paul, he's a Jamaican born act for the millennium - i.e., one who stays true to his roots, but tailors his music for an international audience. His versatility is confirmed by the ease with which he draws from a wide range of different influences, including pop, r&b and hip hop, as well as dancehall. Whilst Savana's style is fresh and new, his two biggest tracks to date have been cover versions. That said, his qualities as a writer are definitely on a parallel with his other abilities as a singer, rapper and deejay. Young, urban music fans love it when he takes familiar melodies and flips them back to front, or constructs rhymes of his own which then stick in their brains like glue. And he's been getting acclaim for his live performances too, which now include an appearance in front of 15,000 festival goers at the Galaxy Carnival near Birmingham. This is all a far cry from Spanish Town in Jamaica, where he grew up. An older brother on his father's side was a member of a well-known Jamaican roots band, and Savana has happy memories of watching them rehearse in nearby Clarendon. But there was music at home too. His mother and also a sister both sang in the local choir, and Savana soon learnt to enjoy the recognition he'd get from singing at school. His first stage performance came at the age of eleven, when he sang at his brother's school. Two years later he was renamed Singing Wonder on two counts. The first because he was extremely talented, and the second on account of how he'd puzzle over the hand fate had dealt him. "I was always wondering about the things happening around me. The area where I grew up, all I ever saw was war and violence, with people shooting each other. I used to spend a lot of time just thinking and wondering about what was going on, and made a promise to myself that I would never move or drop out like that." Life in Spanish Town was hard, but music was always there to soothe his troubles. The only local studio was Rhythm Kings, who had no links with overseas labels, and could therefore only offer experience, rather than a direct line to the top. No releases resulted from his debut sessions there in 1998, but he did end up with a different name when a friend, noting the youngsters' desire and ambition, mentioned how a savannah was like a field with no ending. It was limitless, in other words. "Even whilst I was singing as Singing Wonder, the people who knew me from around home were calling me Savana. Plus you had lots of other Wonders at that time, like Wayne Wonder and them," he explains. The following year he moved to Kingston, where he attended school in Tivoli. Music was his first aim however, and in his free time he was often found hanging out at studios like Record Factory, Shocking Vibes, Penthouse and King Jammys, where he'd meet other young hopefuls like himself waiting for their chance to shine. This early stage of any artist's career is full of uncertainty, and can test their resolve to the utmost. Tracks recorded at Jammy's again remained in the can, leaving Savana to strike out as part of a trio called the New Image Crew comprised of himself, Mark Two and Anaconda. Their debut release, Hot Gal, was recorded back in Spanish Town with a local producer called Romie. It proved popular with JA radio DJs, and more importantly, caught the ear of former T.O.K manager Patrick Maitland, who suggested Savana might be better off returning to his solo career. After helping Savana secure a move to London, Maitland told him not to come back to Jamaica until he was "real topper top." That was four and a half years ago, and he can now book a trip home anytime. One of his earliest projects here in England was a track with the r&b singer Wayne Marshall, who's G-Spot had been a big hit some time previously. He also recorded several tracks with the Black Roses Crew, including a cover of I Ask You If I Love You and an original song called Queen Of All Queens. Garage was the street music happening at the time, but Savana proved a natural with his versatile flows and gift for snappy melodies, even if his destiny ultimately lay elsewhere. Anton from the pop group One True Voice also took him into the studio before his own commitments got in the way, and then one of Savana's backing singers, Passion, suggested he enter a London talent contest, which he won. This success resulted in a longterm recording contract with Jet Star, who'd already released an earlier track by him called I've Got Girls on their popular dancehall rhythm, the Icon. In the words of Hugh Francis - "Every so often an artist comes along whose work strikes such a powerful chord of recognition with the public, it's as if their sound, attitude and style represent each and every one of us - Savana is such an artist." His second tune for them, and his first as a Jet Star artist, was a reggae cover of Nelly & Kelly Rowland's Dilemma shared with Davida that went clean through the roof. It was even outselling Wayne Wonder's No Letting Go at one stage, and quickly claimed top spot on the UK reggae charts in the spring of 2003. It was an auspicious start for an artist whose style is inspired by dancehall, r&b and hip hop, but sounds entirely his own. "I don't flow really hardcore, like some other artists from Jamaica do," he explains. "I flow different, because I blend everything together, so give me some reggae, r&b or hip hop and I'll mash it up the same way. Also when I'm in the studio, I can come up with lyrics and melodies just like that, and I thank Jammy's for that, trust me. Because nuff times, some artists think these people are cruel in how they deal with us, but it's not like that. They encourage you to be prepared and if you want to be a star, then you have to be ready for anything." His follow-up release, Why You Wanna, was a duet with an American singer called Natasha and produced by Danny Ray. In the meantime, Jet Star were busy leaking other tracks to influential UK radio DJs, who began talking excitedly about Savana's forthcoming album. Party blew up a storm on the underground and was the ideal summer tune with its staccato dancehall beat, whilst Girls was a funky, UK r&b number with a chorus so infectious, you could hear it all over London on a good day. Pretty Lady meanwhile, was shared with Jason, who Savana discovered at a local college. Another banging tune, and one that redefined the borders of dancehall, pop and r&b with its slick arrangements and production. His next single, All I Have, was a well judged, beautifully executed cover of the J-Lo & L. L. Cool J hit shared with a young singer called Leanne. It caused an immediate sensation on its release in the autumn of 2003, again racing up the UK reggae charts and cementing Savana's appeal as one of the UK's brightest musical prospects. These songs with Jason and Leanne marked their first ever releases. This ability to find and encourage new talent bodes well for a future career as producer, although Savana is intent on establishing himself as an artist first, and has been kept increasingly busy in this department as news of his abilities begins to spread. Outside of Jet Star, he's recorded a duet called Let My Soul Fly with US rapper The President, who heard Savana voicing one day and got so excited, he burst into the studio right in the middle of a session! American audiences are already feeling that one, whilst London's readying itself for a hardcore ragga track called Summertime produced by Commander B, where the gloves come off and Savana flashes his dancehall credentials over a rhythm shared by Sean Paul, no less. Jet Star themselves have recorded him in combination with both Lloyd Brown (All Night) and Don Ricardo (Only Your Love), and also worked on advance promotion for the brilliant Baby I'll B Der 4 U, which is now a confirmed favourite of club and radio DJs. All were tasters for his eagerly awaited debut album, which will assuredly break new ground for urban music made here in the UK, and then introduce this talented young underground star to the mainstream, where he belongs. For further information contact Jass@Jet Star on :020 8961 5818. 155 Acton Lane, Park Royal, London NW10 7NJ - UK Tel:+44 (0) 20 8961 5818 Fax: +44(0) 20 8965 7008 E-mail: @jetstar.co.uk