Valiant ‘honoured’ to make debut at UK festival

Dancehall superstar Valiant has been in high spirits, landing major shows and topping several national awards since the start of his musical career just over a year ago.

His next highly anticipated accomplishment will be his performance at the Wireless Festival, which is dubbed as 'Europe's biggest celebration of black music'. In an interview with THE STAR, the Dweet artiste said this is not just a win for him.

"It means a lot, enuh. It's really an honour, and it's not only a big recognition for me, but also dancehall music overall," he said. Wireless Festival is predominantly known to be rooted mainly in hip-hop and R&B sounds, while representing forward-thinking artistes from the USA and UK. However, dancehall artistes will be making their stamp on the scene this year, and for this Valiant is appreciative.

"To me, it's natural you know. Genres like hip-hop have strong roots in dancehall, so I feel right at home to be representing on that stage, [and fans] should expect the usual energy weh me bring. I'm looking forward to vibing with my UK people," the North Carolina deejay shared.

The event is set for July 12 to July 14 in Finsbury Park, London. It will also feature a slew of other dancehall acts, such as Sean Paul, Vanessa Bling, Byron Messia and Skillibeng. In addition to Valiant's strong representation for dancehall on a national level, he recently topped the Music of Black Origins (MOBO) Awards for the Best Caribbean Music Act 2024. Merged with his accomplishment to be representing for another 'black music' celebration, he said that the combined achievements felt good.

"Big up to the MOBO for gracing me with this award, and you know, the work doesn't stop here. This only pushes me to continue, and gain more," he said.

On that note of expected growth, when asked if the new flow and style of his latest single, Flava, was intentionally done, the artiste admitted the difference in his sound and revealed that he is now eyeing the international market for a more global impact.

"Yeah man, Flava was intentional in its sound evolution. I'm always exploring new avenues creatively, and crossing over to an international sound is definitely on the horizon," said Valiant. "The reaction to Flava has been good so far [and] fans are loving the fresh vibe." He promised fans several upcoming exciting projects, from shows to new singles. "[Also] keep an eye out for announcements, because the journey is just getting started," he stated.

With just over a year in music and achieving such milestones, the Lumbah singer advised aspiring youth in all fields to "stay focused, no matter the obstacles".

"Your circumstances do not define your potential. Keep pushing forward," said Valiant.