‘It is a good time for dancehall,’ says Seanizzle - But wants artistes to still promote music the ‘traditional’ way

Producer Sean 'Seanizzle' Reid has entered 2023 on a high note, riding the wave of the Run E Grung (remix) that has taken social media by storm.

He told THE STAR that he has been doing his homework for the past two years and he has seen growth in the dancehall space. Against this background, the popular producer is ready to showcase what he has learned, not only for his benefit, but for the culture. He said that dancehall music has changed because of social media.

"So when a song would take a year to reach the universe, it is taking a two months, three months, four months. Artistes are making money now more than ever. There are more outlets for revenue to be earned, not just going on the stage singing the song or waiting on royalties. So it is a good time to be doing music. It is a good time for dancehall. What I have seen is we have hit the ceiling in a particular genre that we have created and we just have to reset and come with something different," he shared.

Seanizzle, who is the mastermind behind rhythms such as 'One Day', 'Born Fi This' and 'Split Personality', also opined that artistes should not neglect the traditional way of promoting music.

"The original standard is you produce a song, you take it to the radio, to the sound system operators, to the deejays and do the promotions. You move around physically as well as digitally. You make connections, you network. Now, people just put songs on social media and hope for the best. Yes, the song will trend and it will do well, but are you sure the next song is going to come and do the same thing? So you have to remember the original format because it never got outdated," Seanizzle explained.

Nevertheless, he has seen how the digital platforms can propel artistes and connect people musically through Run E Grung which is performed by Nadg.

"It shows what mood the people are in and what they are yearning for. So it is just us the players who have a voice to do the right thing and see the impact and be inspired from this and keep the thing going in a positive direction. We have the whole world dancing and we have never seen this kind of unity before. So I definitely have to say we are evolving. Still a work in progress, but we are seeing progress," the producer posited.

He said Run E Grung has opened many doors, and many people are looking into dancehall music.

"And that is one of the greatest things. A lot of people have got rich out of music, but is it moving the culture from A to B? This has sparked a lot of conversation and it's all about what it has done for the culture and how it has created opportunities for more artistes and producers who are doing good music," he said.

Seanizzle is expected to speak at the Jamaica Music Society Business of Music seminar on Tuesday.