The Jamaica Star :: Entertainment :: Konshens' winning year

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

"Dis year mi haffi be di winner" is the mantra of newcomer Konshens in his wave making song Winner.

Born Garfield Spence in Up Park Camp, Konshens has been the talk of the music business in recent weeks. With a hit song on constant roatation, and the tune Rasta Imposter closely following in popularity, Konshens is set to make it big in 2008.

A resident of Sherlock Crescent, Konshens brings a real life street feel and hard hitting lyrics to his music. He is an admirer of many genres of music and is not afraid to explore different topics.

The singjay, who is signed to Natural Bridge Records told the STAR how he got started in the business. "My older brother Delus and I are a part of Sojah Brothers.

I used to follow him go studio every day until we moved to Sherlock Crescent and did a song for Cash Flow studios."

Big break

The song Pon Di Corner on the Guilty Riddim was Konshen's first big break in the business as the song featured on top five positions on various Japanese Reggae charts for most of 2005 and saw the duo travelling to Japan for the first time. In 2006 they debuted their first album Sons of Jah in Japan.

Still a member of Souljah Brothers making songs with his brother Delus, Konshens is also pursuing his career as a solo artiste. 'I still do several songs with my brother under Souljah, but I have other projects working on solo as well," he said.

Some of his new projects include a soon-to-be-released video for Winner as well as singles such as Don't Cry with Christopher Martin and Fair Weather Friends among other songs. Konshens describes himself as a loving, helpful yet serious person who is dedicated to his career in music. So far, the artiste has worked with producers such as Birch, Chester, Ward 21 among many others.

Konshens admires Beres Hammond who he cites as being influential in his career in terms of music, although they have never met in person. But, he told the STAR that he is more an admirer of music than artistes. He is also an avid listener of alternative music and enjoys listening to Tarrus Riley and Assassin as well as others.

However, Konshens is focused more on making music and getting his name out there than making an album. He explained, "right now I'm focused on getting my name in people's minds and getting my music out there rather than making an album."