Ricky Frass rebrands as Mayzen

Former Boardhouse Records recording artiste Ricky Frass has rebranded himself as Mayzen, as he continues to seek his breakthrough in mainstream music.

Born Ricardo Orlando Fowler, the Clarendon native first gained musical attention in 2012 when he recorded the track Tiad on Boardhouse Records' 'Big Dog' rhythm, but has since moved on. He is now embarking on a fresh start to propel his career and said that a name change, among other things, was integral to that process.

"In my growth and maturity as a recording artiste and songwriter, I took the decision to change my name from Ricky Frass to Mayzen [May,] as in 'expressing possibilities' and Zen, meaning 'peacefully calmly']. Under the persona of Mayzen, I have penned several powerful thought-provoking tracks - tracks that give insight to a young man's thoughts, and dreams, that portray life in Jamaica," he said.

He opined that the first musical release under the new stage name, Better Way "will open your eyes, ears and mind to mine and many others' reality in Jamaica". Mayzen also expressed the belief that he has grown substantially as an artiste.

"Maybe then (in the past) I was just 10 per cent of an artiste, but if you check the works now, you will see that mi grow to like 1000 per cent, no comparison to then and now," he reasoned.

Though his confidence is at an all-time high, he admitted that he has not escaped the challenges many new artistes face daily in their pursuit of musical greatness.

"The challenges that a young artiste face will always be there because many times you have to be your own manager, your own PR [public relations agent], and you have to be your own financier and everything inna dancehall. It takes a lot of money. One of the biggest challenges is to stay motivated," he admitted.