“Interview With Grammy-Nominated Sensation, “Stonebwoy” and His New Single With Beenie Man”!

With crowd-pleasing hits, versatile lyrics and an infectious voice, Stonebwoy is a rapidly rising sensation hailing out of Ghana and splashing the global market. He has mastered the art of crossover while using his passion for pop, reggae and dancehall to seamlessly fuse his own roots and culture through afrobeat and has collaborated with some of the most recognized names in music.

 

I had the pleasure of meeting up with Stonebwoy and picking his brain about the musical journey he’s been on thus far.

 

Interview

“My name is Moni Pearson with DC Life magazine, and I am here with Grammy-nominated Ghanaian Afro Beat and Reggae artist Stonebwoy. I feel like I have to say your name animated and extra: “Stone-BWOY” (lol).”

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You have a new release featuring Beenie Man entitled, “Shuga”. This is following a collaboration with reggae sensation, Tarrus Riley entitled, “G.Y.A.L” that dropped just last month. Stonebwoy’s 2017 album release, “Epistles of Mama”, had a career-high of more than 10 million streams across all digital platforms. I truly admire your successes on this musical journey.

 

DCL:

 

Tell us about this single “Shuga” you just did with BeenieMan, how was that?

 

 

Stonebwoy:

 

Thank you very much. I dropped a huge hit 4 months before dropping “Shuga” in 2018, and in 2019, “Shuga” was the first single I dropped.  It’s a beautiful song – it’s a dance song, it’s a fusion of afrobeat and dance hall with great vibes.  When the song drops you have to stand up and bust some moves.  Working with Beenie Man was incredible because these are people who I’ve looked up to Sean Paul, Damian Marley, Anthony B, and other Reggaelegends – all these people are my inspirations. So to get to this point where we’re making big hits for the world, it shows you we’ve come a long way doing this.

 

DCL:

 

You absolutely have Stonebwoy.  Do you have a personal preference between Dancehall versus something slower?

 

 

Stonebwoy:

 

My soul gravitates more to slower reggae music. My belief is that people listen to music more than they dance to music.  People don’t party every day, but they do listen to music every day.  While driving, while sitting, you know. 

 

 

DCL:

 

What do you want your current and growing fans to know about Stonebwoy?

 

 

Stonebwoy:

 

Over the years we have been grinding and putting together songs, experiences and singing them. We sing life experiences as musicians and are the ones to carry the messages in life, spread it and inspire people to feed their soul.  I’m so grateful for my fans and want to thank people who have believed in me and who have consumed my music and material to help me build to this point.  I am a conscious African muse who uses music as a tool to reach out to people by spreading life’s stories through Reggae Dancehall and Afrobeats.

 

DCL:  

 

That’s so dope.  Very amazing.  I saw that you won the Best International Act Africa in 2015 and BET Awards Artist of the Year.   Do you feel pressure to rep Ghana well and maintain this level of excellence?

 

 

Stonebwoy:

 

Thank you, I appreciate that.  I wouldn’t call it pressure, but I would call it inspiration. I’m inspired every day to represent for my country and myself.  You would love every single soul to be behind what you do, but haters are going to be there. I stay inspired to keep repping for my people by putting these beautiful African vibes and culture into the music. I want to put our stories into the culture with our own voices. I always learn and put stuff I seek to know in our music.

 

 

DCL:

 

How do you personally deal with haters?

 

 

Stonebwoy:

 

You got to be mentally strong to know your direction and can’t respond to every dog that barks at you.  Sometimes you have to know what’s necessary to respond to because it’s all a part of the journey. You have to constantly remind yourself of who you are and where you want to be because if you lose sight of that, you will go along with the weaker things in life.

 

 

DCL:

 

What can we expect to hear from you in the near future?

 

 

Stonebwoy:

 

 

Epistles of Mama is available everywhere, my next single is called Tough Seed and it’s about how you have to constantly remind yourself of who you are and where you want to be.  There will be great visuals will be coming up with this and we already have the acoustic version on YouTube. This is the slower version where the music goes deep down into your soul.

 

The original version is the faster, dancehall music version and in 2020, I’m looking forward to releasing my 5th studio album.

 

There will be 2 more singles dropping before the year-end along with a European tour with festivals and events we will be showing up to.

 

 

Stonebwoy has a refreshing energy and vibe that is an amazing force in the world of international music.  Please check out his singles in the links below.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNgY-3YKj1Q&authuser=2

(Stonebwoy feat. Beenie Man – Shuga OFFICIAL VIDEO)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Vl_Buj6Ho&authuser=2

(Tarrus Riley feat. Stonebwoy – G.Y.A.L. OFFICIAL VIDEO)