Sevenz plays with lucky numbers and talent

It's only been seven months since Shakeel Orr, a resident of Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth, decided to shuffle his cards and play his hand in music; and it is only coincidence that the artiste chose the name Sevenz.

"There is a lot of guessing when it comes to my name, which has left most persons to wonder if it comes off 6ix in the dancehall, but it was derived from our island's area code 876," Sevenz said.

In a short space of time, Sevenz has a buzz around his career, having featured on events such as Ignite Brunch, Dip and Igloo in St Elizabeth.

"I am trying to be one of the breakout artistes from St Elizabeth to make it big on the global scene," he said. "In April of this year, I just made up my mind that it was the right time to seriously venture into something I love and had the talent for."

A business-minded Sevenz says that he has considered moving to Kingston, but also believes, "While the city is the root of everything, the entertainment space in my home town is growing steadily and a lot can develop from it."

The streets are his playground, and where he has chosen to promote his single Not A Chop, a song he said is about street life and making money.

"I have performed for an audience close to 10 times since the official launch of my recording career and the feedback has been positive," he said. "The current focus is on Not A Chop because this single has a far way to go; the number of persons that have taken a liking to it gives me motivation."

dancehall culture

He notes that while it is characteristic of local dancehall culture to aim at people (or stir up controversy), he has no interest whatsoever in doing so.

Not limited to dancehall, Sevenz is determined to launch his name and music into the wider sphere of music, and plans to do it the traditional way with hard work.

"My job is to find the creative lyrics to make a good song and I have one of the best managers Q Icon with an ear for hits. At the end of the day, my music is me being me," he said.

Releases: Boss Life, Inna Di Honda, Not A Chop, Braff Braff, and Gyal Zone.

Inspirations: Vybz Kartel

Interesting Facts: Before music, he owned and operated a bar.