Photography: Andy Commons
It was a lot of fun to make ‘No Have No Heart’ & ‘Anansi’ (as well as the music video) with David Boomah & Nãnci Correia. So it felt right to include the release within this write up. Although they aren’t tracks that you’d hear in a dance very often, they are tracks that people often come up and talk to me about at dances. I think we recorded a few more vocal versions on the Anansi Riddim, but these were the two that really stood out and we felt that they really connected with each other.
David Boomah – In His Own Words
JAGO: You’ve had numerous no.1 hits in the Jungle charts and this is the music that you’re well known for. However, I know that you were a Reggae singer way before you had ever even heard of Jungle. How did you become a singer and how did you become David Boomah?
DAVID: Wow that’s a big question to kick things off! I’ve always been into all styles of music from an early age. I can remember being glued to the television from as early as six years old whenever ‘Top Of The Pops’ was on. I also heard a lot of Reggae music from the likes of John Holt, Gregory Issacs & Dennis Brown who were artists my Mom really loved. Therefore I had a good mix of popular music and Reggae music. After moving from Birmingham (UK) to Jamaica (West Indies) at the age of nine I discovered Dancehall music and was introduced to sound system culture by my uncle ‘Greybeard’ who was a selecta and singer on a local sound called ‘Small Axe’. I started singing on the sound and that is where David Boomah was born.
JAGO: What changes took place in your life when you moved from Jamaica to the UK and why did you decide to make that move?
DAVID: I lived in Jamaica for ten years. So, I was nineteen years old when I came back to the UK. There was no big decision or incident that made me make the shift. It was just time to come back to the place of my birth. I wanted to broaden my opportunities. Living in Jamaica may look like paradise, but it is a hard life and the struggle is real out there in many more ways than it is here in the UK.
JAGO: The lyrics of your songs and the messages they convey are very conscious. Do you think that people take the time to absorb the message you’re coming with within the Jungle and D&B scene?
DAVID: I know the messages get through to the people that want to hear it, regardless of the genre I am performing on. Quite a few people have come up to me or got in touch on Facebook saying your song really made me think about my life and my actions. Others say that your song really took me out of dark place, thanks so much for making it.
JAGO: What has been the highlight performance of your career to date?
DAVID: I don’t think there is one performance I can choose as my highlight. There have been many great experiences: Crowds in Guatemala, Lithuania, Slovenia, Brazil, Russia and obviously here in the UK have been amazing & made me feel very welcome.
JAGO: Have there been any particularly strange situations you’ve found yourself in due to being a performer?
DAVID: That’s a strange question. One unusual incident was being booked for a gig in a hotel lobby in Holland. There I was with Nicky Blackmarket & Aries in the hotel lobby the morning after a cracking gig (we’ve just had breakfast and I am about to get a taxi to the airport to fly back to the UK). This guy comes to pick up ‘Nicky’ for a gig in Belgium. I notice he is looking at me out the corner of his eye; then he approaches me and asks “are you David Boomah?” I reply, “yeah I am”. He then says “what are you doing tonight”, and I say “I’ll be at home with my Family”. So, he says “can I book you for a gig in Belgium tonight?”. So, I call my wife to get permission and end up driving to Belgium. It was a massive line up and a roadblock affair!
JAGO: You’re an artist who works within lots of different genres. What can we expect from you in the future and which artists would you like to collaborate with if you could choose anyone?
DAVID: Ok, another big question. Stevie Wonder is possibly my favourite artist, vocally, lyrically and live he is a master, so he is definitely on the list. I wouldn’t turn down an offer from Damian Marley as I rate him highly. Another artist I would like to work with is Kano, his flow is raw but it still has an air of accessibility.
JAGO: Can you give some words of wisdom to end with?
DAVID: Lets have a big ‘David Boomah’ quote to wrap it up. Educate yourself – knowledge is power. Believe in yourself – this gives you confidence. Apply yourself – you can achieve more than you could ever imagine. Your hopes and dreams won’t come to you, so go and get them. Forward Ever!!!