Byron Messia ‘speechless’ after Grammy win

First-time Grammy-winner and Caribbean native Byron Messia said he is over the moon about his triumph.

The crossover artiste is featured on Chris Brown's album 11:11 (Deluxe), which won the Grammy Award for the Best R&B Album on Sunday. Messia is on the dancehall infused track, Nightmares. Speaking with THE STAR, Messia recalled his initial reaction when he learnt that they had won in their category for the 67th Grammy Award.

"I was definitely speechless. I mean, this is music's most coveted honour, this is something you aspire to as an artiste and to be able to be a part of this great achievement is truly what dreams are made [of]. Coming from the Caribbean and being able to win this award is truly amazing," said the Talibans singjay.

He assured his supporters that this humbling and historical win will encourage him to produce and continue to make more global appeal through his work and networking skills.

"[This] definitely means more work, more great music and great collaborations. My team and I always aim to put out music that speaks to the people...[as] this win is indicative of the heights of dancehall music and how impactful this genre has become," shared Messia.

11:11 (Deluxe) competed against Usher's Coming Home, Lalah Hathaway's Vantablack, Muni Long's Revenge and Lucky Daye's Algorithm.

Messia, the talented St Kitts and Nevis singer and songwriter, said reliving his Caribbean experience through his video shoot for Nightmares made the win even more special.

"Being able to collaborate with such an influential and successful artiste as Chris Brown was definitely a creative experience. He said our remix for Talibans [with Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj and Burna Boy] was fire and so we just decided to work on another project together. Shooting it in Jamaica was also a great experience," he reminisced. Messia said winning the Grammy is not just a win for him but an honour to his homeland as he expressed gratitude to both Brown and his country on his Instagram page with scenes from the Nightmares video, just moments after the Grammy win.

Riding the musical wave from Grammy winning artiste to the upcoming International Reggae & World Music Awards (IRAWMA) show, Messia seems to be reaping the rewards from his impactful start as a reggae-dancehall artiste in a highly infiltrated industry. The artiste, who is nominated in the Best Crossover Song and Best Collaborated Song categories at IRAWMA, said he believes that these nominations prove that dabbling and melding genres can powerfully build rather than drown out another genre.

"Music is universal and limitless. To be able to put out music that doesn't just fit into one box but can speak to and inspire many, is a great achievement for me. I don't ever want to limit my creativity to just one style of music," he said.

He remains optimistic about the star-studded event and confidently stated that he is "looking forward to win...and winning a Grammy [will] most definitely add to [my] success; so I am hoping for the best".

The 42nd staging of IRAWMA is set for March 30, at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts in South Florida.

Messia rose to stardom after the commercial release of his single, Talibans in 2023. Following its international remix, the song gained a larger global recognition which saw it peak at number 99 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and received gold certification by the British Phonographic Industry.