I Wayne, has been surrounded by music all his life. Raised in a musical family (his uncle Ansel Collins played keyboards for several famous artists including Jimmy Cliff and Black Uhuru), I Wayne began performing with vocal groups as a teenager, but struck out on his own after a surprise solo gig where the other members of his group failed to show up. Since, I Wayne has ripped through the reggae community like a dancehall whirlwind. His latest album, Life Teachings, blends the singer’s barbed social criticism with sensual, romantic serenades, underscored by bubbling roots-reggae instrumentation.
The Jamaican singjay recently opened up to The Pier about his sources of inspiration and his own views on the school of life:
The Pier: I’ve read that you like to spend a lot of time in more natural settings outside the city. Does nature inspire you?
I Wayne: Nature always inspires. In nature you can always see something new. You always learn something, and it keeps flowing nonstop.
The Pier: On that note, your bio compares you to several natural elements such as wind, hurricanes, lightning, etc. Why do you think that is?
I Wayne: Naturally, I’m a part of those elements. Wind is like the breath of life. We’re part of the sun, we are a part of the moon. It’s just life because we can’t live without these things. These things are made for I; they are made for us. All of those elements, I am a part of. I’m preserving life, and that is what I Wayne is all about.
The Pier: Where else do you find inspiration for your music and lyrics?
I Wayne: Being around life: my experiences, other people’s experiences. But mostly from nature. It always has something new to learn about, something to expand the knowledge!
The Pier: I read that you wanted your new album to sound more like classic roots reggae. Why did you decide to pursue a more roots-influenced sound?
I Wayne: Because the people, them need it. There’s too much fear today, too much nastiness, too much madness. For me to bring in more roots is to relieve the madness.
The Pier: Although you are a musician, do you also see your music as a means of teaching the younger generations?
I Wayne: Not necessarily young people. Any age group because you’re never too old to learn or too young to teach. I can learn something as well. I think of myself as a life teacher because I’m sharing life knowledge with the children. I’ve grabbed certain things from life, and I share it
The Pier: Do you plan to tour the United States at all?
I Wayne: Yes but I’m not sure exactly when. I will be there to do some promotional things for this new work.
I Wayne Links:
I Wayne Website
I Wayne Facebook
Interview by: Chris Castro
You can read The Pier’s official album review for I-Wayne’s Life Teachings by clicking HERE