Kranium returns ‘home’ for Sybaritic Wknd

International dancehall superstar Kranium is ecstatic about returning to his home town, Montego Bay, where he's slated to perform at the inaugural staging of Sybaritic Wknd, featuring major headliner Akon.

In an exclusive interview with THE WEEKEND STAR, Kranium shared that this will be his second major performance in Jamaica, and hosting it in Montego Bay will make the experience even more "special".

"It's been a while and I've been putting in a lot of work, and I just feel like this is the right event to come and just celebrate an amazing night and an amazing event," shared Kranium. Kranium, who has been living in the US since age 12, promised that his performance will be ignited with great "vibe, quality and personality".

"Those are the three things I always display whenever I go in front of a crowd, [and] it's always a buzz - it's entertainment, but at the end of the day, mi just always try fi put mi best foot forward and just be the best me can, and whatever I get from that I appreciate it, yuh nuh," he said.

Sybaritic Wknd kicks off on July 26 with Sparks After Dark, followed by Tides & Tanlines on July 27. Diamond Dreamz' is scheduled for the 27th, and the festivities conclude with an Afro-soca event, featuring a road march and live performance by Destra Garcia. The event will also showcase local superstars such as Jahshii, J'Calm, Malie Donn and Cashan and DJs including Kurt Riley, ZJ Ice, Bloodline Franco and Brush1.

Sybaritic promoter Orrin Christie said he hopes the first staging of the event will be a success, as they've already booked their international headliner for 2025.

"I want this to be an annual event, because we never have something like this in St James before - like a weekend of event like dis. So we're trying to create something of this magnitude every year with an international artiste," Christie said. He shared that Akon was chosen as a "crowd favourite" among Jamaicans, after conducting a local survey. Christie said the aim is for the event is to have an "international feel with a lot of surprise international guest artistes and a top-of-the-class setting/branding, so that patrons can look out for it next year". Kranium said he's also looking forward to sharing the stage with Akon.

"Musically, it's just a great experience for me [which] marks a timeframe in my life, because I remember where I was when Akon dem just come out. Mi a see miself inna high school in New York when Akon a run di place, so it's just a moment of a time that I remember vividly while I was younger," he recollected.

Kranium is also celebrating the 10-year anniversary of his internationally acclaimed single, Nobody Has To Know, a song which he is still proud to be receiving accolades to this day.

"It's a good feeling fi know seh you created something in New York and crack di code to be a [reggae/dancehall] artiste who live overseas, fi come inna dancehall and represent fi adda artiste who feel like dem cya buss in America. It's an amazing feeling, man, and mi just know seh mi still a raise the banner fi di country as high as I can, and just always working," Kranium said. He noted that the single was certified gold in the UK and US and platinum in Canada.