Mahdeva eyes global domination - Rising Star plans to make Billboard his home

Mahdeva has always had a passion for the arts, and his journey from dancer to recording artiste, and now producer, is all part of his plan to achieve his ultimate dream: a full-fledged career in music.

A graduate of Seaforth High School in St Thomas, Mahdeva has always been deeply involved in entertainment. During his school years, he was part of a dance crew, Boasy Steppaz, where he first started experimenting with music by vibing to beats and listening to instrumentals.

"That's when mi start tek on the music more serious now," Mahdeva shared in an interview with THE STAR. "When mi left school, me mek all few step wid all Chronic Law, and a deh suh di journey really get serious."

But it was Mahdeva's realisation of how music allowed him to express himself that truly ignited his passion. "When I saw how I could express myself on instrumentals and by listening to other artistes, I knew I could put more into this. Practice makes perfect, and everything just started falling into place," he added.

Mahdeva, whose given name is Javoy Williams, admits that making it big as an emerging artiste is somewhat of an uphill battle.

"More while, di youths dem affi step out and seek dah recognition deh outside, 'cause dem seh yuh can't crown king inna yuh place, yuh affi step out. Suh di youths dem step out, and di more dem step out, a di more yuh get experience and knowledge, which show [yuh] a wider aspect addi whole ting," the artiste shared.

His journey from artiste to producer has been a natural progression, and he has already made a mark by producing hit songs, chief among them being Emotions, by Valiant.

The name 'Mahdeva' was chosen with intention and creativity. It represents his uniqueness as an artiste --'deva' signifies being different, while the 'hd' in the middle stands for the high quality, boldness, and clarity of his music.

Calm and collected, Mahdeva has a clear vision for his future. He aims to become a global musical icon, spreading positive changes through his music. With recent hits like Money Laundry, featuring Breeze Genah, Rich Or Poor and Mankind, Mahdeva is confident that his flow and focus will lead him to stardom.

Balancing his roles as both an artiste and producer for the past four years, Mahdeva appreciates the control it gives him over his work.

"More while we artiste guh through some things wid producer, enuh - sometime dem 'bench' yuh song, but yuh see di determination weh mi have, it gimmie dah drive deh fi duh things fi miself - mi publish mi songs miself, and find ways how fi get riddim and produce mi songs miself. And by doing that, mi get fi mek dem link deh and connection with other artistes and just work as a team," said Mahdeva.

Through his label, Thugz Fraternity Music, Mahdeva has collaborated with both established and up-and-coming artistes. With his versatility in sound and style, Mahdeva is eager to explore all musical genres, emphasising that his sound is "out of this world". Looking at the current music landscape, Mahdeva is certain he's on the path to greatness.

"Yes man, I believe. Self-belief is power, you have to look at yourself in the mirror and say, 'Youth, you're destined to be great.' My dream is to live on the Billboard charts like I'm paying rent there. So I'm going to work towards that in any way I can," he said, encouraging other artistes to "stay focused and don't give up".