D’Yani enjoying UK tour

Recording artiste D'Yani spent Valentine's Day travelling from the United Kingdom (UK), where he had a series of performances in the cities of Manchester and Sheffield. He revealed that he also "killed two birds with one stone", and sat down with label representatives to work out a distribution deal for his forthcoming Muse EP.

"I'm enjoying being back in the UK, and I'm grateful for all the love and to have performed for two sold-out shows," D'Yani told THE STAR.

"While I'm here I figured, why not meet with a couple labels to sort out this distribution licence and other aspects? The album is completed, but the date is pushed back to April, tentatively."

The four-track project is a compilation of work produced by Markus Records, echoBeats Production and Mari The Producer. The Feelings artiste-songwriter also makes his debut as a producer on the album.

"I've been thinking a lot lately about where I want my career to go and had ideas whirling around in my head. So, I got the instrumentalists to come together at the studio, flesh out the ideas and flexed my muscles, testing my skills ... sort of a stepping stone to my album," he said. D'Yani expressed confidence that the songs on the EP, which have never been heard, will last a lifetime.

"[The EP] is titled Muse for a reason. I have a few persons I refer to as a muse for different things; life, love and music. My mom is one. Even my fanbase itself acts as a muse. Just performing on Sunday in Sheffield, which is a rural area, and seeing the crowd support and having fun had me musing," he said.

D'Yani and Vanessa Bling collaborated on the single Soul Tied, which was released last weekend. In an interview last year, he said he accepted his 'sex-symbol' status. "If this is what our dancehall is seeing, then there is a space for more sex symbols. I definitely have more songs for the ladies."

However, the artiste, who describes himself as "deep, vulnerable and open", has been paying less attention to the whispers and more on doing music he loves.

"My intentions, when I started a career in music, was not to be a sex symbol, but [I] wanted to sing about what inspired me. Women inspire me, among other things. I'm just taking it in stride. I'm not as fazed, as I'm presenting what I love at the moment," D'Yani said.

The artiste heads to Florida this weekend for more performances.