Bombrush signs first female act

Published Sunday January 16th, 2022 by the Sunday Gleaner. Written by Stephanie Lyew

Cindy Lyons manifests her inner musical lioness

Roaring into the new year, Cindy Lyons aims to take a bite out of the music industry. Already a pioneer in the fashion world, being named the winner of the inaugural Pulse Caribbean Model Search full-figure reality TV competition 12 years ago, she dared to defy the status quo of what a runway model should look like. This afforded her opportunities to walk the runway in the clothing of designers who showed their versatility and acceptance of thicker models on the annual Caribbean Fashionweek runway, which she said was the highlight of her modelling career. It’s no surprise that she is prepared to strut into the spotlight once more, this time on a different stage.

“I am a firm believer in ‘variety is the spice of life’, and I have always had an appreciation for music of all genres. This may sound cliché, but I don’t think I have ever met anyone in the world that says they don’t like music, and for me, it’s part of my DNA to love music… the very rhythm of a heartbeat is music,” she told The Sunday Gleaner.

The model-turned-recording artiste re-emerges as Cyndi Lionz with her official debut single Rain produced by Bombrush Records, which also manages her.

“The rhythm that the song is recorded on has a lot of water effects, and it reminded me of the pitter-patter of rain. It really does flow, and I remember just recording the demo using an app on my phone… because I don’t write on paper any more. I just record on the track itself, which is much easier for me… and just listening to it and drawing inspiration from that and also from experiences – some personal, some of other persons.”

Rain, which will be released at the end of this month, is not her first try at recording, she revealed. A few years ago, she had entered a Green Island-based studio in the parish of her birth, Westmoreland, but the song did not make it outside its walls. Cyndi Lionz shared that she always knew that if she decided to pursue a professional career as a recording artiste, she would need someone to push her harder.

“Bombrush Records recognised that there is more talent to me than what most persons know me for and has pushed me in the right direction. I started out with a song that had elements of dancehall and hip hop then, and my style has not changed; that is, I still described what I do as a fusion, but I have matured,” she said. “I never lived a cookie-cutter lifestyle – sometimes I stay within the box, but being outside of that box is exhilarating. I also love a surprise, and I am a fan of illusion so, if I can surprise listeners, then that’s an added plus.”

Her decision to test the waters was made at the start of 2020 – pre-pandemic – and it has been a slow yet rewarding experience to hear the lyrics she had written to accompany the rhythm she was given two years ago flow naturally, she said. Influenced by her childhood years singing on the church choir and the sounds of international singing superstar Mariah Carey and local acts like Denyque and Shenseea, she believes she has fashioned a unique sound that people can appreciate.

“Not that I can sing like Mariah in any kind of way, but I have always been a fan of her – her vocals are insane. Then there’s a certain mood Denyque evokes and just the way she mixes the Patois and English; and for Shenseea, I find her intriguing… the fact that her face does not match her content, we will share that as a similarity,” explained Cyndi Lionz.

She further explained that with more female acts emerging, there is no one specific type of sound or genre of music that is being recorded and that she likes “to see more women being inspired and having a voice in a space where the men used to be the ones we would hear mostly.”

“The last two years have been about getting through everyday life and coping with all the changes. My producer was in Europe for an entire year, and we weren’t able to do much work, but I wholeheartedly believe in the concept of better late than never. It is all working out the way it should,” Cyndi Lionz said.

While she does not have plans to light up any fashion runways any time soon, she said that if a modelling job showed up on her radar and it benefited her music career, she would definitely consider it.

“You only have one life to live, so find what you love and go for it. At the end of the day, you don’t want to have regrets and be left saying what if. Modelling as a full-figure model in Jamaica, to be totally honest, is not something you can survive on unless you plan to do more of the risqué jobs like being on a poster for a drink or something of that nature. Right now, I am manifesting all that will add value to me being a recording artiste,” she said.

International recording artiste Bay-C creates history with the first Reggae and Dancehall NFT

International recording artiste Bay-C is the first Reggae and Dancehall artiste in history to release his music as an NFT. A limited collection of the Holy Temple single is now available under the BAYC token, a industry standard ERC-1145 token that can be purchased on both the Rarible and OpenSea NFT distribution platforms.

The BayC collection on OpenSea

https://opensea.io/collection/bayc

The BayC collection on Rarible

https://rarible.com/bayc

Fans and collectors can now bid on this groundbreaking release and own a part of Reggae history. As NFTs become more popular, early owners of these collectibles will not only own the first set but will most likely see the value of these collectibles rise in value.

The NFT Revolution

Most artists in the music industry receive an average of 12 percent of the profits from sales or streams of music, and receive only a fraction of a penny per stream. The rest of the money goes to the middlemen and tech companies who facilitate these services - leaving tours as the only real way to make money however when Covid-19 hit the world artists had to cancel their touring plans and many were left without any income.

“Artists are wondering why they are working in an industry where 90 percent of the income goes to the top 1 percent of artists, and 88 percent of the profits go to large companies”. - Mikel Jollett, lead singer, Airborne Toxic Event

NFT have ushered in a revolution in the music industry, a paradigm shift that will empower artists around the world. They allow artists to sell their music directly to fans, cutting out the middle-man. Think of a NFT as an original painting, or a limited-edition record signed by the band. Artists create NFT’s through a process known as minting which uses the same technology that has driven the price of bitcoin from pennies to over $60,000 USD today.

Once a NFT is minted it is digitally unique. It cannot be copied but it can easily be transferred from person to person. This has given artists the ability to sell their

music directly to their fans. NFT’s can also be packaged with extras, such as physical items such as limited edition vinyl or signed memorabilia. But most importantly, artists can own their music again.

Bombrush Records, the label driving the Bay-C release, is pioneering the space for Reggae NFTs and will be launching new NFTs on a regular basis. Co-designed with blockchain partner Caricoin, they will be offering the service to other Reggae and Dancehall acts and producers to allow them to launch their own NFTs.

About Bay-C

https://www.baycmusic.com

Straight Outta Portmore, Jamaica, BAY-C is the bass voice of Dancehall, known for his witty lyrics and signature deep tone. The musician broke on to the Jamaican music scene in the late 1990’s and has had a successful career, selling platinum albums twice in Japan and hitting the Billboard charts with his fellow bandmates TOK.

About Bombrush Records

http://www.bombrushrecords.com

Bombrush Records is a record label from the shores of Jamaica with a global reach. Founded in 2001, the label is a hub for music production, artiste management, publishing, marquis events and entertainment consulting services.

About Caricoin

https://www.caricoin.com

Caricoin is the Caribbean's leading crypto-currency platform, with real-time pricing data, a blockchain explorer, guides and market news. Caricoin functions as a Oracle, a source of truth for smart contracts used in the crypto currency space.

David Rodigan Explores the Holy Temple with Bay-C on BBC

Known as one of the most respected selectors and musicologists for the last 40 years, David Rodigan name resonates like royalty across the Reggae World. His influence and credibility goes far and wide and a spot on his BBC 1 Xtra’s radio programme is a slot highly sought out by even the biggest names in the genre. Needless to say then it was an honour for Bay-C to have Rodigan sit down and have a one hour long dive into his nee album Holy Temple. The two held very deep conversations and even some startling revelations about the time Bay-C has been working on this album, the places traveled while making it and the current status of the collective TOK.

Listen the full Rodigan show here (Bay-C interview starts after the first hour)!

Enjoy.

BAY-C LAUNCHES NEW KINGDOM SUMMER TOUR

Bay-C has this summer kick started his second solo European stint called the ‘New Kingdom’ tour. His first post T.O.K tour in 2016 was a major success as he received positive feedback for his solo material, specifically his EP ‘Better Must Come’ which acted as a personal message for the artist.

Feedback on the talented vocalist’s mixtape ‘Rise of a New King’ has been really good. The project is considered a tad controversial as well because it's called ‘Rise of a New King’ which can be interpreted as Bay-C claiming the title ‘King Of the Dancehall’.

“Everyone can be considered a King in their own right, and it doesn’t have to mean dethroning anyone else to do it. I am definitely not competing with other artistes but I know I’m a King in Dancehall on an international level” Bay-C shared.

This ‘New Kingdom’ European tour is targeting Reggae and Dancehall lovers all across Europe. Performances are slated for UK, Germany, Italy, Finland, Slovakia and Holland. Already the artiste has performed at Mamanera Beach in South Italy to an exceptional crowd.

“I’m Feeling real good about this new tour. It’s already pretty awesome, we could say we're building on the Bay-C fanbase in those countries.” Bay-Cadded.

Bay-C is expected to perform next at Reggae Jam in Germany later this week. He intends to gain new fans, excite the existing ones and get more inspiration for his future projects throughout the tour. Most importantly the ‘New Kingdom’ tour will see Bay-C being an Ambassador for Jamaica, its music and culture.

For all updates on the Tour follow Bay-C on social media @baycmusic or log on to his website www.baycmusic.com.

BAY-C CROWNED KING WITH NEW MIXTAPE

Popular Dancehall Bass Vocalist Bay-C continues to chart a successful solo career with his latest release. 

The mixtape ‘Rise Of A New King’ is a collection of tracks that the artiste has been releasing since the start of the year, along with songs from his recent Better Must Come EP and yet to be released singles that will be out and popping by the summer.

“It’s definitely not my first mixtape but it’s great when fans can get a collective representation of you in one project, since last year’s EP showed the roots side of me this ‘Rise Of A New King’ mixtape can showcase the dancehall and fusion sound as well” Bay-C shared

The 14 track compilation also includes international collaborations like ‘Bubble Butt’ with Panamanian artiste Lorna and, Rude Gyal Swing with African Pop artiste Treesha. Other features on the ‘Rise Of a New King’ mixtape come from R&B crooner Gordon Andres, Ahkan of Ghanaian afro beat duo Ruff n Smooth, and Jamaica’s own Shady Squad. 

The ‘Rise Of a New King’ mixtape has 70% dancehall, 30% roots reggae energy and was produced by the immensely popular Kingstone Sound from Cologne, Germany. The artiste believes the project properly defines him as a part of Dancehall history and propels him as a part of Dancehall's future.

“This mixtape is more of Dancehall royalty and me recognizing that position as an artiste. Anyone listening can feel like they're royal as the mixtape is not just about Bay-C but more that each person has the potential to be regal in whatever they do.” Bay-C chimed

There are specific tracks that the artiste wants listeners of the project to pay close attention to as well; the single ‘Bad Anyweh’, an unreleased Afrobeat track called ‘Diamonds’ and the recently released ‘Pop Bottles’ single which is doing quite well at the moment, are among Bay-C favorites on the project. 

The ‘Rise Of a New King’ mixtape is currently on soundcloud for fans to listen to https://soundcloud.com/baycmusic/bayc-the-rise-of-a-new-king. Fans can also look forward to new music from Bay-C in the coming months as well as new merchandise and an upcoming summer European tour.

For full updates on local and overseas gigs visit Bay-C’s website  www.baycmusic.com and follow him on social media @baycmusic

BAY-C TRENDING IN LATIN MARKET WITH BUBBLE BUTT COLLABORATION

After a successful first year for his solo career, popular bass vocalist Bay-C - formerly of super group T.O.K, is doing exceptionally well in the Latin market with a sizzling collaboration. The artiste paired up last year with Latin sensation Lorna for a few singles including the popular track ‘Bubble Butt" produced by noted Panama based genius, Seven The Producer. 
“Lorna is a huge sensation in Panama with her hit song "Papichulo" so it’s a big deal to work with her. We have been friends for a long time so once I launched my solo career, she reached out to do the track ”Love You” and the ‘Bubble Butt’ single came next”. Bay-C shared.

The artiste has seen his collaboration”Love You” top a few charts in Panama and receive great rotation there, the video was also nominated for several awards in Panama and is also trending in Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico and Spain. With the release of the ‘Bubble Butt" video, the second Bay-C and Lorna collaboration is also set to become a massive hit in the Latin American market.

The ‘Bubble Butt" video has also amped the promotion of the song itself; with the latest dancehall moves incorporated into the visuals the interest has increased specifically with Latin American dancehall lovers; even Latin dance crews have posted viral videos to the single. The Official video is now available on popular streaming site YouTube.

Bay- C also started the first quarter of 2017 by releasing a hot new single each week, so far he has dropped Reggae tracks; "Better Must Come", "Talking Blues", and Bobby Digital produced "Foundation"; street singles like "Bad Anyweh" and "Fearless"; and party tracks like "Come Let Me", "Car Sexy" featuring Esco and "Pop Bottles" for Supahype's UFO Miles Riddim.

“It’s a musical attack, I record new singles every day so there is a lot of unreleased tracks ready to be heard. I want to put it all out there so the dj’s and music lovers get to hear and enjoy the genre’. Bay-C added.

Fans can look forward to more singles from Bay-C and possibly more collaboration with Latin artistes, but he is keeping those details quiet for now. Plans are already being finalized however to begin a Latin American tour with Panamanian artiste Lorna.

For all updates on Bay-C follow him on all social media platforms @baycmusic, or log on to his website WWW.BAYCMUSIC.COM.