18-year old R&B rising star Jaicko Lawrence (pronounced Jay-ko) is one of the latest intriguing new faces that is ready to add his dose of fresh talent to the world of entertainment.
In fact, the Barbados native, who is widely known throughout the island, has been nominated for several Barbados Music Awards and is often pitted in the same category as fellow singer Rihanna. With his Caribbean-fused pop sound Jaicko has been making music for almost his entire young life and from rap to pop; he eventually felt comfortable enough to settle on becoming a singer.
But Jaicko, a fervent fan of Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson, is far different from the average teenage boy singer. He writes and produces his own music with his father, a music veteran. Together they form a solid songwriting team: “My dad has always been a good friend, and a creative partner, so it’s never really been difficult to work as a father and son team,” said Jaicko.
Indeed, with his father guidance, Jaicko started his career early at the tender age of 9, thus becoming an extant fixture of the Barbadian cultural and nightlife scene. Of his singing, he said, “I always knew I could sing but I never took it seriously. Back then, if you were a rapper, you couldn’t be a singer. That’s changing now though.”
Jaicko’s first independent album sold 6,000 copies, a good number considering that the island population is fewer than 300,000. It landed on the charts between pop star Justin Timberlake and rap veteran Jay-Z. The young singer also opened for Ne-Yo when the R&B star made a tour stop in Barbados.
As maturity set in his voice and lyrics, Jaicko is now following in the footsteps of Riri for whom he has a lot of respect. “We were always seen as apart from the rest of the world,” he asserts. “It almost seemed impossible for a Barbadian artist to get a record deal. I was pursuing this before Rihanna, but seeing her success made me believe more I could do it, it removed whatever doubt was there.”
When looking at him, people might question his delivery and his name might still make people say “Jaicko who?” but as he said, “all the songs that I’ve written and produced definitely have that [Caribbean] influence because…it comes naturally; …you can just hear it.” His leading single “Oh Yeah” produced by The StereoTypes will certainly erase any doubt that naysayer might have about his talent. Even hip hop legend Snoop Dogg has been attracted by his skills and the pair collaborated on the remix of the single of “Oh Yeah.”
Jaicko is definitely a player you should keep on your radar in 2010 with the release of his debut album “Can I.” And if he is already fresh today, no doubt he will be hot tomorrow!
Written by Valerie Varasse
