Don Lyrikal has ‘Big Dreams’

Dancehall artiste Don Lyrikal has big hopes for his latest single, Big Dreams.

"The inspiration behind this track came at a time when I almost gave up on my career, because of tough times. But, when the label Mellow Don Records linked up and started to push me, it gave me encouragement to start working again, and to hold the faith and keep going," said the artiste, whose given name is Kenneil Dwyane Robinson.

"So far, Big Dreams has touched many people emotionally and the feedback has been tremendous," he added. A video for the project has racked up more than 64,000 views. Big Dreams is the lead song of a eight-track EP which was released by Mellow Don Records. Other songs on the EP include Emotion and Never Give Up.

Don Lyrikal recently got a major endorsement from fellow artiste Teejay, who was impressed by his freestyle on the 'Dip' challenge on Instagram.

"I have to say a special big-up to Teejay for taking time out to do a video to endorse me, and give me feedback on the freestyle. It was a big encouragement, and one day I hope to do a song with him," he said.

Don Lyrikal grew up in a small community called Bermaddy, before moving to Linstead in St Catherine. He attended Charlemont High School where he was first introduced to music through a friend. He joined up with Infantry, a group of other talented teenagers, but the group was soon disbanded. He then earned the name Don Lyrikal for his lyrical prowess which he exhibited during a community stage show called '12 to 12' in Linstead. He was 17 at the time.

After leaving high school, he recorded and released his first song, Nuh Normal, on the Prince I Rae Entertainment label in 2018. He scored his first major success with a single titled Stay Focus, which attracted the attention of another high-school friend, a producer called Melz, who started Mellow Don Records. They have been working together ever since.