Abijah

Abijah has had a powerful start to his career. His first hit single,
"Revelation" debuted at #6 and stayed at #1 for 4 weeks in Jamaica during
the Spring of 2002. Since that time he has performed on countless stages
including Jamaica.s prestigious Sumfest, "Singers Night" in Montego Bay
in 2002, Jamaica.s Rebel Salute Festival, California.s Sierra Nevada
World Music Festival 2002 and the 2004 Reggae In The Park Festival.
An electrifying performer, Abijah, aka Andrew Smith studied at the Edna
Manley School of Performing Arts in Kingston where he learned how to play
guitar and to construct and deliver strong melodies with rich lyrical
content. A combination of confident stage presence, R&B-type staging with
trained dancers and an occasional Motown cover makes for a unique
presentation in reggae. His roots are from music, the son of Winston
Smith a drummer with Count Ossie.s Mystic Revelation of Rastafari Abijah
witnessed first hand the energy involved to achieve success in the music
industry.
After "Revelation" reached #1 the Abijah toured Europe with LMS in the
summer of 2003 to perform at some the worlds largest reggae festivals
including, Rototom in Italy and Summerjam in Germany. His first album
recorded for VP Records the self-titled ABIJAH was released in 2003 to
critical acclaim. What has followed has been a steady stream of singles
on todays hottest rhythms from Kingston.s vibrant studio scene. There has
even been a remix of "Revelation" that features dancehall don Beenie Man
trading lyrics and the chorus with Abijah
His upcoming release, tentatively entitled NEW DAY takes its name from a
nyabinghi-style follow up to "Revelation." The song was recorded with the
legendary Fattis Burrell for his mighty Xterminator Production label. The
new album will feature many tracks recorded by Fattis as well as some
duets with top-selling artists such as dancehall artist Sizzla and
American R&B artist Tevin Campbell. The Xterminator label has produced
seminal work by reggae chart toppers such as Luciano and Sizzla. The new
album will feature videos from key tracks such as a duet recorded with
female roots-reggae artist Zema. The video is for the song "Stoned Love"
a cover of the Supremes original version and it was filmed in the Los
Angeles area.

Abijah met Zema while working on the Fires Of Forgiveness tour. This is a
program created by Robert and Julia Roskind. During the program, Abijah
performs for school-age children, teaching them about the elements of One
Love and non-violence in our daily lives. There have been over 50 concert
programs presented to students throughout Jamaica and the Hopi Indian
Reservation in the United States. Abijah has also participated in
programs at Oxford University in the United Kingdom and Harvard
University in the U.S. as a representative of Jamaica and his activities
with non-violent curriculum offerings.
A versatile artist with a wealth of creative energy, Abijah has performed
the famous Bob Marley song .One Love" for a TV commercial for the
Jamaican Tourist Board that airs throughout U.S. markets. The artist also
recorded "One Too Many Mornings" for the Bob Dylan tribute album Is It
Rolling Bob on RAS Records.
With roots in gospel and musical theatre, Abijah performed as the lead
tenor in spiritually themed musicals throughout Jamaica before taking the
path as a recording artist in 1999. The combined exposure from this "on
the job" performance training, college-level coursework in music and
exposure through his father and also his brother-in-law, reggae music
veteran, Yellowman have given Abijah a great foundation to build his
stage show and recordings upon.

Abijah has a natural gift for entertainment that is reflected in his
stage performance, one of which flows like a natural spring out of
Jamaica.s tradition of onstage professionalism. Through interaction and
participation with his audience, a powerful voice, and carefully crafted
melodies and lyrics that address the issues of the day and explore themes
of romantic love, Abijah captivates audiences in both Jamaica and
worldwide.