Jahmiel's Sumfest dreams come true

At what seem to be the beginning of his international career, rising reggae and dancehall artiste Jahmiel is seeing some of his long awaited dreams finally come true. 

It took more than a few calls for The Weekend Star to get Jahmiel on the phone. "Um, him juss juss go in the interview with BBC," came the hushed voice. "You can call back in like...10 minutes?" The young artiste was on the promo tip in the United Kingdom, with members of his team answering the phone to give time-stamps on when to call back. 

The BBC interview is one of many Jahmiel has participated in over the past few days. Ten minutes turned into 45, before the artiste was in the vehicle and settled enough to take the phone. "Helloooo," he said coolly after the phone was passed to him, emitting a boyish, friendly charm.

When asked if he was nervous about taking the big stage at this year's Reggae Sumfest, the answer came swift and full of the confidence of a seasoned professional. "I’m not nervous. no I'm not nervous at all, because I’m been doing live performances from age seven," he said.  

Even with years of experience under his belt, Jahmiel begins his summer venturing into unfamiliar territory. The international public relations blitz precedes the artistes' first ever performances in Europe. 

Before Jahmiel takes the stage at the Sumfest venue in Montego Bay, St James, he will be performing in Bristol, then Birmingham, then London in England. "And then I'm back in Jamaica, then going Connecticut and Boston, then Europe - Geel (Belgium) and Sweden, which is still Europe, yeah!" he said. 

As busy as this summer will be for Jahmiel, he is especially looking forward to coming home for the 'Greatest Reggae Show on Earth'.

"Mi used to dream about being on Sumfest and now it finally come true. So I’m definitely gonna give it my all, go all out. Because, I mean, it's Reggae Sumfest, it’s the stage where people look to see the next big thing," he explained. 

The reggae and dancehall artiste promises to deliver his songs that people are familiar with. "I want to keep it short and spicy, and sing songs like True Colours, Where Were You, Gain The World, just to name a few!" he said.