Nerro going for global stardom on his own merit

Determined to set himself apart from his father's legacy, Leon 'Nerro' Levy, son of reggae and dancehall icon, Barrington Levy, is committed to achieving global stardom.

"Di biggest break a when yuh globally recognised enuh, [and] mi naah stop. Mi nuh care how much people waah know mi or how much girl waah inna mi DM (direct message), mi still naah mek it get ahead a me because mi still nuh reach weh mi a guh yet. Mi just waah mi music reach pon a level weh mi can finance mi thing di right and proper way," an upbeat Nerro told THE STAR.

He added that, his unique blend of "conscious music" with his smooth R&B-dancehall sound, definitely sets his craft apart from others.

"Mi nuh haffi a sing weh everybody a sing fi yuh hear weh mi a seh. Waah gwaan fi conscious music ... or music weh can mek yuh laugh? Dem music deh naah mek again?" Nerro questioned. "My style a music is more on the calm side. But fi now mi nuh waah nobody classify mi as no dancehall artiste because the title get too cyalis - everybody a wear dat title right now...me is a musician," Nerro said.

The artiste, who has been professionally honing his musical craft since age 21, said he made his musical discovery at age 14. His father bought him a laptop and he started recording himself, subsequently putting his stuff on YouTube.

"People start fi gimme back some good response and through those responses, mi start tek time and climb," said Nerro. Though he never had a challenging childhood, he said he learnt to appreciate the struggles and hardship others faced - through the shared journey of his friends - which he said humbled him. The adventurous musician credits his grandmother for her traditional upbringing and stern morals which helped to shape the man he has become, and influenced his role as a father.

Despite his musical ties, the artiste said he experienced "several hardships, faded loyalty and setbacks" within the music industry, which built his tenacity and forced him to become versatile and independent with creating his own music.

"Di lack of proper team management ...was a part of why mi neva a get dah exposure deh. The DJ dem - every time dem si yuh dem want a 10 or 20 gran and [promise] fi play yuh music and when yuh go deh, dem play yuh music one time or when di party done," he said. Nerro added that one of the main reasons he didn't let persons know his background was because he wanted their approval of his personality, not his lineage.

"Mi did affi tek di route di hard way and just duh weh mi a duh, get people fi hear weh mi can duh and who appreciate it, appreciate it. Mi did just believe inna weh mi a duh and mi deh pon a track right now and mi just ago keep it dah way deh," he added.

The artiste bottled all his emotions into one melodic flow to create his first international track, Dweet Fi Yuhself.

"Mi seh mi a write dis song yah and dedicate [it] to miself and fi all di person dem who have di ability fi do supm and just don't have the support or di information on how fi elevate demself. Suh mi jus did pour out everything into it," Nerro stated, noting that the single gave him his first international flight.

Many supporters have connected with the lyrics and overall message as the single has amassed thousands of views. Another track, Things Soon Change, one of the artiste's favourite songs, was inspired by his daughter and is also racking up the views and comments since its release.

In making that leap into the competitive, music industry, with these numbers, Nerro's career has been climbing steadily but he believes an "international breakthrough" would give him a "real recognition".