Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 04/Aug 04:36

Spice marks 25 years with Mirror 25

DANCEHALL QUEEN, reality TV star and entrepreneur Grace “Spice” Hamilton said her heart was “warmed” by the news that her mentor, Adidja “Vybz Kartel” Palmer was released from the Tower Street Adult Correctional Facility on July 31. Fresh off a flight from England where she performed for thousands at Popcaan’s sold out “Unruly Fest” event, Hamilton screamed with limited vocals into her cell phone on her Instagram Live upon hearing the news. “Yow, me na no voice.” She husked. “Mi jus land, mi voice gone. Mi jussa land to de bl--dclat news. Jesus Christ. Free Worl Boss!” Before leaving for the England gig last week, Hamilton told Overtime Media that she is eager to collaborate on a Soca track with a leading artiste in the genre. Tholis, even as she also shared plans for the release her third full length studio album entitled Mirror 25 on August 9. The new album will be released via her own Spice Official Entertainment company, with distribution through Empire. Empire Distribution, Records and Publishing Inc is an independent American record label, distribution and publishing company founded in 2010 and based in San Francisco, with offices in New York, London, Lagos and Johannesburg, in addition to recording studios in San Francisco. [caption id="attachment_1100298" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Spice’s Mirror 25 album cover -[/caption] The internationally-acclaimed “Queen of the Dancehall” will also honour those individuals integral to her 25-year global evolution and surely, her first hit song collaborator, Vybz Kartel will be included in the celebration. She said: “After chanting Free Worl Boss for 13 years, he’s finally free and that warms my heart to see him back home. I’m so happy my Romping Shop partner is back!” During the exclusive Zoom interview, Hamilton also reaffirmed her love for the soca genre and asked her fans in Trinidad to help her determine who she should collaborate with next. “I really love soca. It’s one of the genres whe give me a hype energy. “I’ve collabed with Destra before, but on this album I really wanted to really represent for the Soca world. I didn’ get a chance to meet up with anyone scheduled for the collab cause I wanted to come to Trinidad and get the real authentic vibe – you know I’ve always wanted to collab with so many people. I definitely need to be there for Carnival next year and I don’t know who the collab will be with, but I would love to work on that cause I definitely love the Soca…” Minus a much-desired soca collaboration, Spice’s 25-track album Mirror 25 fuses her legendary dancehall sound with a kaleidoscope of rhythmic energies and embraces a melting pot of genres. The project aims to reinforce the powerhouse performer’s signature style in dancehall, whilst also cementing her status as one Jamaica’s most versatile and creative artists of this time. Spice has collectively streamed over 433 million views on YouTube and over 400 million plays on Spotify, making her one of the most streamed female artistes in her genre. She has collaborated with musical giants such as: Shaggy, Sean Paul, Missy Elliot, Nicki Minaj, Vybz Kartel, Kid Ink, Jeremiah, Busta Rhymes, I-Octane, Lady Leeshur, Sean Kingston, A$AP Ferg, Mya, Charly Blacks, Neyo, Stylo G, and more. She’s appeared on Good Morning America, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Tamron Hall Show and Good Morning Britain showcasing her talent and classics throughout a 25-year span. Now, the VH1 Love and Hip Hop Atlanta star is set to take her business acumen to another level as she prepares to executive produce, market and promote an album featuring her fellow artistes and stars from the hit US reality show, which helped make her a household name in America. “I’ve done five seasons, so this will be my sixth season,” she revealed, “but now that I am the executive producer for my album Mirror 25, I’m also producing a Love and Hip Hop Cast album! So, this has never happened before and will be the main storyline for the show this season, where I get to record the cast and try to take them international so they can tour outside of Atlanta. This show definitely helped me become more recognised in the US and continues to propel my brand forward into the mainstream so I can open doors for more Caribbean creatives.” Hamilton added that her raw, open diary of her past trials and tribulations, growing pains and lessons learned as an artist and as a woman – are all contained in this riveting sonic body of work. The album title, Mirror 25 symbolises reflection and self-discovery. “Creating my album, Mirror 25, was intentionally done to celebrate 25 incredible years in music,” she shared with a passionate tone. “It has been a truly exhilarating journey, and this album showcases my versatility as well as my passion for dancehall. I’m beyond excited to share these 25 songs with the world because I’m sure each song will be relatable to each of my besties. The diversity within my fanbase has pushed me to experiment with a lot of new sounds, while staying true to my authentic dancehall roots. This album is a true reflection of my heart in its purest form, and is a celebration of my history in dancehall. Twenty-five years is not a small thing, it’s a very big thing.” Beginning her career in the early 2000s, Spice had her first major success in 2009 with Romping Shop featuring Vybz Kartel and subsequently signed with VP Records, releasing her debut EP, So Mi Like It (2014), which was preceded by the single of the same name. In 2018, Spice joined the cast of VH1’s reality television series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta in season seven, after appearing as a guest star in season six. Her first full-length project, a mixtape titled Captured (2018), debuted at number one on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart. It was preceded by the single Black Hypocrisy, which addresses the issue of colourism in the black community. Spice then released her debut studio album, Ten (2021) and sophomore album Emancipated in (2022). Two years later, Jamaica’s premier urban music female artist continues to make history as she drops Mirror 25.   The post Spice marks 25 years with Mirror 25 appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.