Dancing to his own beat - Dancer-turned-artiste NekoDiamond pushes boundaries

Dancer-turned-artiste NekoDiamond has adopted the mantra, 'It's not where you come from but where you're going,' as the driving force behind his extraordinary journey from the tough streets of Tawes Meadows, St Catherine, to the pursuit of international stardom.

"My journey has been a real rocky road - I started out in dancing, still doing dancing now but merging into music," said the up-and-coming entertainer.

Growing up in an environment surrounded by violence, NekoDiamond said he maintained a mindset that he would rise above the challenges. In the early 2000s, he left his touch inner-city community and headed to the bustling tourism hub of Ocho Rios in St Ann where began earning from his talent as a dancer.

"Sometimes I taught dancing to tourists and even travel [back and forth] to Kingston to host dance classes, do commercials and [other shows]," said NekoDiamond.

Born Delroy Douglas, NekoDiamond's journey to stardom began with a nickname given to him by his mother, a huge fan of American actor Steven Seagal. She affectionately called him Neko, inspired by Seagal's character, 'Nico Toscani,' in 'Above The Law'.

After relocating to St Ann, he became part of the dance group 'Black Diamond,' which eventually split, but he carried on the legacy by merging the group's name and his own dance moves. One of his proudest moments came recently when his mento dance medley, created in partnership with the Ashe Dance Company, went viral on Instagram. Recreating this vibrant cultural piece, set to a mento beat, during Black History Month and Reggae Month in February was particularly meaningful for him as a native of Spanish Town, steeped in cultural significance.

His passion for dance led him to new heights in 2024 when he travelled to Europe for the first time, offering workshops, live performances, and private classes in places such as Hamburg and Switzerland.

"My dancing journey has really shaped me into a different person. Sometimes I have to sit down and talk to my inner self [because] I can't believe this is me - Neko. But going to Europe was very successful ... I experienced and learned a lot, not just through teaching but also about other cultures. It helped me put myself out there as a dancer. So my journey has been really really good and I'm proud of myself."

Now, embracing his evolution as an artiste, NekoDiamond revealed why he transitioned into music.

"It feels much better to dance to your own music," he said. "I'm not gonna leave dancing because it's my number one [passion]. Going into music is like a package. Now, you can perform to your own songs because I used to perform for artistes' songs and sometimes artistes don't even give you credit for that ... no little respect or appreciation. Without dancers, there's no music [or] artiste, and without music, there's no dancers ... so dancers play a great role in dancehall as well."

NekoDiamond recently released a self-produced debut single, 'Akimbo', followed by another track, 'Rocky Road'. For NekoDiamond, his musical crossover is more than just about success - it's about showing others that "whatever you push yourself to do, you can do it."