Kim Nain positioned for big break

Although his musical voice was muted while settling here, Grecian restaurateur Alexx Antaeus has been living a double life, between managing his restaurant on Hope Road, to working in his studio in Manhattan, New York.

On October 21, the producer released an album before the album - a compilation of remixes based on his earlier release, Angel - featuring dancehall artiste Tommy Lee and the Gregorian chanting of Steve Wilson of the New York Polyphony.

Since the release of the single, Antaeus has uncovered limitations to this style of musical expression and is tackling it with an adjusted approach.

According to Antaeus, people in New York are enjoying the sound of the classical church music and dancehall fused track.

Even so, the reception of Angel has highlighted a gap in the producer's judgement of his intended target, the club and dance circuit in the United States.

"The club and dance scene is not responding well to a male voice," he told THE STAR.

hardcore dancehall

In a logical next step, he decided that the follow-up single to Angel will be carried by a female voice - particularly, by the vocals of upcoming Jamaican singer Kim Nain.

Antaeus said a few female artistes were recommended to him, but the selection pool was limited to vocals more suited to 'hardcore dancehall'.

"Kim and I sat down and talked about what the world wants. We have Jamaican artistes who only appeal to a Jamaican audience, and you have the ones who cater to the Jamaican audience and the rest of the world," Antaeus said.

"The only difference is, how do you keep your Jamaican identity - and the rest of the world still understanding you?"

Antaeus is now trying to produce a sound that is Jamaican, but is also understood in the international club and dance scene. This was the goal with recruiting Nain, and the producer believes that he may have nailed it.

Antaeus considers the affinity for communicating in comprehensive English rather than indigenous, indiscernible patois as one of the avenues to success - as proven by the likes of Shaggy and Sean Paul.

"That's what separates some big names in Jamaica, but no one knows them outside of Jamaica because if you don't understand what the person is saying, you're not going to have a big following. You might have a dancehall following in Japan or Germany, but you're not going to be hitting the charts like Shaggy and Sean Paul did," he concluded.