Roy 'Bugle' Thompson - Peta-Gaye Clacha photo

By Kavelle Anglin-Christie, Staff Reporter

When Roy Thompson, more popularly known as 'Bugle', penned What We Gonna Do? it was to document his despair.

Let's rewind. Almost one year ago, Bugle did his first solo single, Jamaican Ting which was a SSMG production on the 'Yard Step Riddim', and it was his first real chance to show Jamaica how fluid he could be on a dancehall track, then ... nothing.

Bugle, formerly of the duo Bugle and Tornado, said had it not been for the hit-making producers Daseca he would have given up on the business.

"The new single, What We Gonna Do? is a Daseca Production and the inspiration for that is just one a dem song deh whe we a talk 'bout wha me go through being poor. It is a lot of stress and more time you a try your best to make things happen and nothing not coming through. You all a look a job and you can't get none and all the time you have easy access to the gun," he said.

Before continuing, Bugle was quick to say he and the SSMG label, which he was previously affiliated, with are still on good terms: "We are still great. A just work we a work ... But I still have to say thanks to Daseca because if it was not for them, I don't know what would be happening. Even though I say that some people stop at obstacles but my journeys continues, it did look like this a di end of the road, so I just have to say big up to Daseca."

Big names

Bugle's biggest obstacle in the music industry is one that is familiar to many fresh faces. Still it's one he would prefer to see fade from his musical trek.

"My biggest obstacle ah voice pon 1 million riddim and no one paying any attention to it because of the big names on the riddim. If there are 15 songs on it like Bounty, Beenie, Ele, Vybz Kartel and the disc jockey play those, yours might be the last to play and no man nuh have the time fi play 50 million song on the same riddim, so yours might end up not getting played even though it might be the best one on there."

However, Bugle's journey hasn't been littered with only negatives. Over time, he has worked with some of the top names in dancehall as a songwriter, including Elephant Man (All Out) and Bounty Killer (Perseverance and Bulletin) and says he can't decide whether he is a better writer than artiste. "It wouldn't be for me to decide. I love writing and recording, but me prove my writing skills already and I'm on the verge of proving my artiste skills now."

As for listing people he would love to work with in the future, Bugle says it's not that simple. "Yeah if their is talent there I will work with them, but you have some people mi wouldn't work with because them not serious about the music. Them just in it for the money. Them a deal with the music like a crack dem a sell pon di roadside ... If you not genuine then the music not going to have no substance behind it and I need to be doing it from the bottom of my heart. Not everything that glitter is gold."

Bugle's faith in his career and future has been renewed and he is staying focused on just that: "If it continues, the way I see it is, I will be a force to be reckoned with and with Daseca in my career, I will be a force to be reckoned with. I don't just write songs about one thing, I write about everything.

"I have a new single that's taking off and probably one of the hottest ones out there. The follow-up is going to be hotter, so Daseca probably save the best for last. The next single is going to be called Journeys.

"It is basically about the same kind of vibe, the obstacles that I encounter and things that I try to make happen but they don't. Some people stop at the obstacles, but my journey continues. We might come from the garrison, but we mind nuh come from the garrison."