ORieL hosts reggae benefit shows in US
Published:Monday | June 1, 2015 | 12:00 AMCurtis Campbell
Hundreds of children residing in Dominica will receive books and other school supplies from reggae artiste ORieL, who will be hosting a series of fundraising concerts in Pittsburgh, United States, this month. According to the artiste, he was raised under less-than-favourable economic conditions, and he wants to play a role in the development of children.
The artiste is based in the US; however, he was born in Dominica and makes frequent visits to Jamaica, where he draws inspiration for his music.
ORieL will be performing at nine shows in Pittsburgh, and he told The Gleaner, "The kids normally need stuff like that, and because I have the means of giving back, I want to do so. When I was growing up, there were certain things that I noticed, and I want to give the kids the opportunity to have a better experience," he said.
travelling
The series of concerts will commence on June 13, and will be held every week until July. He also disclosed that the concerts would see him travelling to various locations.
"I have a strong fanbase; it is crazy over here. I am based in the States, so I know the fans, and their support is guaranteed. I want new people to come out as well because it will be a great experience, great energy and good vibration," he said.
The reggae artiste recently wrapped up a promotional tour of New York and is currently making preparations to perform at the upcoming Montreal Reggae Festival. He also disclosed that his management team has been in discussions with the organisers of Reggae Sumfest, which may result in his debut appearance this year.
"I performed at Rebel Salute, and it was a good vibe. In Jamaica, I had a great experience, because once you give love, then you will get it in return. Promoting love has always been a standard I have maintained and, to me, Jamaica is sacred soil because that is the birthplace of reggae music," he said.
ORieL will release two EP CDs on July 2, both produced to give music lovers a different vibe. The first disc, called Confidence 2.0, was produced by Daniel Boyle, who has worked with legendary producer Lee Scratch Perry. While the second disc, titled Love Soldier, will see the artiste exposing the lover's rock side of his music.
The artiste also hopes to release an album by the end of 2015.
"I do my own productions a lot of time. So I have a lot of work to share with the people," he told The Gleaner.