It was in 2013 that reggae singer, Jah Bouks, recorded his first song, the mega popular Call Angola, which took him on a fantastic journey around the world. Eight years later, the 2013 Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall third-place winner released his debut album, showing that he is still in the game and ready to be counted. Currently, Jah Bouks is prepping an upcoming tour of the United Kingdom, and also a summer tour of the United States.
“The organiser of this UK tour is the first promoter who took me there in 2017, and we have a good connection. So far we have confirmed seven shows, with the first scheduled for February 12 at The Oval, just outside of London. Off the top of my head, I know we also have dates in Bradford and Coventry as well,” Jah Bouks told The Gleaner.
The tour takes its name from the title of his 2021 album, Long Awaiting, a 13-track offering which he notes comprises love songs, social criticism and the need for a spiritual connection with nature and God. His publicist states in a release that “The opening track, One Hit Wanda, is a jab at those who considered Jah Bouks a one-hit-wonder. But it is clear that Jah Bouks is here to stay.”
Clearly happy to be going on tour and getting a chance to perform live for his fans, Jah Bouks, however, stated clearly that the rewards for his labour are equally important.
“Mi nah talk nuh rough talk, but I am not about doing music for music sake. On stage, I have to look a certain way that is presentable and things have to set. I like performing more when everything is in the proper order,” he said with a smile.
The roots reggae singer, who is a purveyor of righteousness and conscious lyrics, has taken control of his brand with his own Angola management, record label, restaurant, fishing boat and beach cottages, which he shares with his wife. He has spent the last two years in entrepreneurship, building his Angola restaurant and Casa Angola cottage in St Thomas, catering to locals and tourists.
BEEN DOING WELL
“My wife and I opened the restaurant just before the pandemic struck, but we have been doing well, and the first cottage was ready January 1, this year. The location in St Thomas is beautiful and it’s by the sea and in harmony with what we stand for. Visitors love it,” Jah Bouks said.
The singer is now focused on putting a musical team in place and recently signed to the Seattle-based Lundberg Entertainment Group (LEG) which will serve as his publicist and booking agent. Reggae in Seattle, a media and music promotion company, will also work with Jah Bouks to promote his music and events in the reggae world.
“We are excited to be working with such an amazing artiste. Jah Bouks is sure to make waves in the music industry,” Terri Lundberg of LEG told The Gleaner.
Jah Bouks is gung-ho to be working with the group. “My team believes in the brand Jah Bouks. I am looking forward to working with Terri and LEG,” he said.
Reflecting on Call Angola, which was produced by his mother Patricia ‘Zion’ Panton for her Sun Isis Entertainment label, Jah Bouks shared that the song, which he wrote from 2005, took him to Africa in 2017, and of course, his mother accompanied him.
“My mother has not returned to Jamaica since. She stayed on in Africa and she ah live that dream. I talk to her the other day and she was visiting another country in Africa; she is very happy,” he shared.
Jah Bouks, who hails from Winchester in St Thomas, started to perform when he was only 12 years old, and proved to be very popular with the audience. Although he had several years of experience singing on sound systems, he had never officially recorded before Call Angola.
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