‘Bring live music back! We need this’

On Wednesday night dancehall artiste Valiant traded the heavy-hitting sounds and high energy of dancehall for the intimacy of an acoustic performance through an unplugged session at Tacbar, located at Devon House in Kingston.

The Valiant Unplugged event was a stripped-down experience where the Bubble Gum singer translated his discography acoustic-style to curious fans, aided by the four-piece band, Dub Squad.

Promptly at the announced 10 p.m., the first strains of the band’s music swelled within the space and the artiste appeared on stage amidst cheers from the crowd. The set-up had members of Dub Squad scattered across an elevated white-tile stage with the night’s headliner sitting on a stool at their centre.

Washed with dimmed blue and purple lights and under hanging faux greenery, Valiant serenaded the audience. Among the dynamic set list were favourites from his catalogue including Muhammad, Cut All Losses and Mad Out, in rock n’ roll, Latin and reggae style.

“I wanted to give off a professional vibe. I can sing, I can do something a little bit different [and] I can make my negative songs sound positive. The new generation is not getting enough credit. So I’m just trying to do some things as the frontrunner,” Valiant shared with The Gleaner.

The event was not without its surprises and the “new generation” that Valiant mentioned was seen in several guest appearances made. The first to be introduced by the night’s headliner as “one of the most beautiful ladies in dancehall”, was singer Stalk Ashley. And, for the first time ever, the audience was treated to a live soft arrangement of the duo’s collab Narcissistic.

“I’m always happy to do this because a nuh me alone in dancehall. Who could come, come. We have a lot of people here. I can’t name everybody, but a lot of people came to support and sent out their friends and everything,” he shared.

Valiant then left the stage to allow Stalk Ashley a moment with the fans and she slid into a rendition of her newest single Really Like You followed by her smash hit, Young. Adding to the surprises, the Open singer previewed a song off her upcoming EP Stalky The Bratt. Post-show, she had this to say.

“[Valiant Unplugged] was beautiful. This is my vibe. I love being able to really sing so that people can hear [the music]. Bring live music back! We need this!”

As if Valiant hadn’t already showed off his vocal prowess, he rejoined Stalk Ashley on stage to end with a soulful arrangement of Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill’s iconic Turn Your Lights Down Low. The chemistry between the two was undeniable and their voices filled the space in a rendition that would’ve made the song’s originators proud.

Next on the list of performers was an artiste known to frequently go viral across social media, Armanii. The FaceTime singer performed a medley of his hottest singles over a dancehall arrangement by the band before inviting deejay Zidii to share the stage in a duet of the latter’s Formula. According to Armanii, his appearance wasn’t planned but was wholeheartedly welcomed by his counterpart in dancehall music.

“Actually he didn’t contact me. I saw the poster. Naturally, is my big brother dat. Nah fi ask, is just a strength. The new generation is more united than people would think. A just unity and love,” Armanii shared.

Valiant reappeared one last time to wrap up the short but sweet session, ultimately amounting to just under an hour. An intimate set-up proved the perfect opportunity for his fans to get to know him better outside of his music. Each song was prefaced with a few words by the artiste and in between singing, the audience, though a different demographic from the traditional dancehall crowd Valiant is used to, was teased and engaged with much to their amusement.

“Dem vibes really different. They like [an acoustic show] because it’s a little bit different. It’s something new to everybody but it went very well and I loved it … I was a bit nervous because I’m trying something new for the first time [but] it went very well and you’ll be seeing more of it. It was a great vibe,” Valiant added.

Valiant dedicates the success of the show to Carleen Samuels who manages him along with a slew of other celebrity clients. This new experience, according to him, only scratches the surface of what he hopes to present to audiences going forward.

“Expect a lot of new music [from me going forward]. A lot of reggae. You know my style. A lot of international collaborations. It’s going to be crazy, you guys are gonna love it!” he said with a smile.z