Sean Paul takes dancehall, Jamaica to Dreamstage
In his first full band set in 14 months, Sean Paul on May 8 made a blazing appearance on Dreamstage.
According to Jamaican Ronnie Tomlinson, of the Brooklyn-based entertainment promotion company, Destine Media, the setting was the Kingston Harbor at dusk — “a mix of mountains and the world’s seventh largest natural harbor — as ticket-holders watched a 60-minute show from the historic Grand Excelsior Hotel (formerly Morgan’s Harbor Hotel).”
Backed by his Badda Bandz, Sean Paul kicked off his set for the US-based live music streaming start-up with “No Lie” — the breakout hit for international songstress Dua Lipa — before moving into “Get Busy,” Tomlinson said.
She said Sean Paul mixed his iconic discography with the bangers from his seventh studio album “Live N Livin.”
He shared the stage with Busy Signal for Boom, and Jessie Royal for the collaboration “Guns of Navarone” with Mutabaruka, Tomlinson said.
For “Everest,” she said Sean Paul was joined on the sea-floated stage by Masicka and Skillibeng.
“His hit-packed set had ‘Calling On Me’, featuring ‘Tove Lo’; ‘Like Glue’; ‘Gimme The Light’; ‘I’m Still In Love’, featuring Sasha; and ‘Rockabye’, featuring Clean Bandit,” Tomlinson said.
She said the dancers from L’Acadco created bright figures and forms on “Ben Yuh Back,” “Trumpets” and the thrilling show-closer “Temperature.”
For Sean Paul, this year is about showcasing all that Jamaica and dancehall have to offer.
“I feel blessed that I have been able to show people Kingston,” Sean Paul said after his Dreamstage performance.
He said the show also gave him and the team a chance to sharpen their road skills.
“The thrill is still there on stage,” he said. “It’s a good vibe after a year and a little bit to work out with the band and the dancers there. It felt good. It was a great warm-up.”
He revealed on stage that his latest album, “Live N Livin,” highlights 21 artistes for 2021, according to Tomlinson.
“We didn’t really ‘pree’ the symbolism until the mixing stage,” Sean Paul said. “There wasn’t supposed to be any foreign contingent on the album, but StoneBwoy came to the studio and kinda bad me up.
“With him being on the dancehall collaboration album, it was a happy coincidence that the numbers lined up,” he added.
Sean Paul is set to release his eighth studio album, “Scorcha,” with Island Records this summer.
