By Michael Mondezie
What are you doing?
That’s the million-dollar question music creators and fans across the region are asking after seeing Sea Lots native Yung Bredda go from appearing on social media feeds to the top of international dancehall charts in under a year.
Born Akhenathon Lewis, Yung Bredda was just ‘playing around and having fun’ with his freestyle chanting on Instagram Live a year ago during Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns in T& T. Eighteen months on, and he is the most in-demand act in T& T and gaining popularity across the Caribbean region, with several heavy hitters in the dancehall industry sitting up and taking notice of his talent.
At just 23, Yung Bredda has the biggest party songs on the islands, including the popular 2021 releases ‘Trampoline’, ‘Rocking Chair’ and ‘Fed Up’, as well as this year’s fete starter topper ‘VIP’. His YouTube DJ party mixes are also fast becoming the number one choice for house parties on the islands.
The charismatic entertainer says he fully embraces the position he has now found himself thrust into as ‘the bringer of vibes’.
‘Yes, I do see myself at the forefront of the new music movement. I see myself as a creator of party dancehall. I am a vibes guy; when I reach, party start, so you know I see myself as the face of new movement, the face of a new wave,’ an affable Yung Bredda said during an entertaining interview with Kitcharee on Thursday.
Visualising success has been a huge part of his meteoric rise, he revealed. And even though he is yet to achieve it, the powerhouse of an entertainer says he already sees himself on par with the best rappers/singers on the planet.
‘I see myself as a leader. This is a new wave, a new style and, already, I see myself as successful as any other artiste or rapper in this world. Best of all, I’m not following any template to get there. I’m just doing me and keeping it original,’ he beamed.
Rated By The Best
In a recent interview with Kitcharee, Jamaican dancehall legend Tanya Stephens singled out Yung Bredda as the most exciting young music talent coming out of T&
T. Stephens gushed over his energy and delivery, calling him ‘the Energizer Bunny’, adding that she would ‘love to work with him’ on a future project.
Dancehall artiste manager and business mogul Romeich Major, manager of Jamaican dancehall sensation Shenseea (Chinsea Lee), also expressed publicly an interest in teaming with Yung Bredda’s Optimus Productions on future projects.
Yung Bredda called the attention and praise, from people he considers to be ‘legends and fully respected in the business’, heartwarming and says it fuels his resolve to continue to hone his skills.
‘It means a lot to me to hear a lot of great dancehall artistes, even soca artistes and hiphop artistes having positive things to say about my work and what I am doing. I do work very hard so I’m very grateful for that,’ he said.
While his music may sound similar to the regionally popular Trinibad sound, Yung Bredda does not consider himself a Trinibad or zess music artiste, but rather an artiste from T& T being true to his own self-expression.
‘Yes, the music has been criticised as Trinibad and zess music, I don’t know what to say about whether people accept that music or not. I just do me.’
A Rough Beginning
Life hasn’t always been this good for Yung Bredda. As a youngster he was teased because a close male relative was a drug addict and he was often left out of the ‘popular circle’.
Despite the name-calling and social rejection he says he knew he wanted to be an artiste as early as age seven and was determined to make that dream a reality despite the doubts of most people around him.
‘My journey has been very hard but with all strength from the Most High anything is possible,’ he said, not wanting to delve deeper into those aspects of his painful past.
He was more open in sharing, however, that every bit of his success is by design with very few aspects of his approach to musicmaking being left to chance.
‘I do not just do my work wild. I plan everything that I do. Brainstorm and execute how it supposed to be executed. Some things in my music does happen organically, naturally; the music is natural, the vibes is natural, but everything else is planned.’
Yung Bredda credited his mother and girlfriend as the two women in his life who keep him both grounded and motivated.
‘Many a times I feel down and weary, but with the help and motivation of my mum and girlfriend I find the strength to carry on and ask myself what’s next? I always ask myself what’s next?’ he added.
As for his next move, for now Yung Bredda prefers to keep that close to his chest, but promises that his fans would be well pleased.
‘I’ve been working very hard and I’m very determined about my next move which will be very epic. I can’t reveal it just yet but I want all my fans to stay tuned.’
