Iyah Syte sets eyes on making it to the top

Singjay Iyah Syte has long had his sights set on being an artiste, but it has taken him more than a decade to finally start fully realising his dream. The singer disclosed that, owing to family commitments, he had been forced to put his career on the back-burner, but it was always keeping warm by the fireside. Last year, he made the decision to focus full time on building himself into that marketable artiste that he is confident he can be, and he is happy at the dividends. Managed by a conglomerate known as Unison Music Group and One Team One Dream, Iyah Syte had his first official release since returning to the music on May 1, a song titled 'Warning', which, by his account, is making inroads. And, on Sunday, to coincide with Mother's Day, his team serviced his second single to radio.

"That song is called A Mother's Love and it talks about the greatness of that special love that can only come from a mother," Iyah Syte told THE STAR.

Warning, which was released by 24/7 Music Productions, has been getting airplay since March 27, and impressively kicked into number two on Spotify's release radar.

While on pre-order, it went to number one on DJ Cat's Top five chart in the UK, and has been featured on a number of playlists in Canada, the US and Europe.

"Nothing happens before the right time," he laughed. "It's as if things were aligned for this song to do well. It is an uplifting, conscious song which encourages youths to think before they act. It says, ' Think before yuh tek up yuh nine because the hottest part of death is not who dead but who yuh lef behind'. That is a message that I want to resonate with the youth," he said.

The singer insists that he is not focused on the grim reaper aspect of the COVID-19, but rather on how he can help to sustain life. Music, for him, is a large part of that, as he is high on its therapeutic value.

However, on the practical side, he and his team started a humanitarian drive last week, and it was so successful that they have been encouraged to keep it up.

"We went around to needy families and gave them care packages. I chose people from in my community and I asked people on FB live to reach out to me with suggestions. We gave out 20 packages with basic food items including rice, flour, sugar, cornmeal, oil, tin items, and detergent. The people were very appreciative. So we will definitely be doing more of this," he said.

Christened Dillon Hines, Iyah Syte was born in Montego Bay. But when his parents migrated to the US, he went to live with his grandparents in the farming district of Roehampton, also in St James.

He began writing his own lyrics and rhymes, and eventually became a popular young dancehall act, adopting the name Iyah Lazer.

In 1997, after the birth of his first son, Iyah Lazer switched from raw dancehall to more conscious and cultural lyrics and changed his name to Iyah Syte.

'Syte' is an acronym for Saving Youths Through Entertainment. This has become the mission for his music and the inspiration behind his lyrics.

Releases: Blood in the Street, a collaboration with Yugo Bandooloo, and Oh Mama, a single that expresses Iyah Syte's sorrow and regret over the early passing of his mother.

Inspiration: His mother, as well as artistes such as Peter Tosh, Chezidek, Lutan Fyah, and Jah Mason.

Interesting fact: Iyah Syte completed a full album in 2006, but it was never released.