Quickies

 

OMI to perform at giant US mall

 

OMI, singer of the hit song Cheerleader, is booked to perform at the seventh staging of Irie Fashion Rave (IFR) on April 22 and 23 at the Roosevelt Field Mall. OMI will become the first Jamaican/Caribbean artist to perform at the upscale shopping mall in East Garden City, Long Island, New York. It is one of the largest mall networks in the USA and home to Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.

IFR co-producer 'Syntyche' Clarke, who brokered the Roosevelt Field Mall deal, said "the vision for IFR has always been to take our Caribbean culture and fashion to the world. It was for that very reason why in 2013 we took the giant step to move to the 3,000 capacity Resort World Casino in New York."

On an average weekend, almost a half a million customers pass through the Roosevelt Field Mall.

Aside from the fashion and music, a variety of contemporary and traditional Caribbean dishes will be displayed. Two-time Food Network's Chopped champion, Chef Andre Fowles, will appear at the Culinary Pavilion alongside celebrity chef Patrick Simpson. Chef Laniece Llyew of Milk River Restaurant & Lounge in Brooklyn, and the husband-and-wife duo Chef Sean & Jin of Sean D Catering, will also appear.

 

Chronixx crosses genres on US tour

 

Since this month's launch of Chronixx's Chronology Tour, a 2017 40-city North American run with Jah9, Kelissa, Jesse Royal and Max Glazer from Federation Sound, the 24-year-old Jamaican singer has traversed music, fashion and health and wellness in the media.

Upon his arrival in New York, Chronixx was again a guest on The Tonight Show. Chronixx is also the face of Adidas Spezial. The SS17 collection of footwear and apparel by the sportswear giant was unveiled through a concentrated UK and US rollout that impacted mainstream press from Vogue, CNBC and GQ.

He is considered a "wellness guru" by SELF magazine in a recent interview on "smoothies, yoga and being a tiny speck in the Universe".

There have been interviews with The FADER and Ebro Darden on Apple Music's Beats1 that touched on his latest tracks Like and Majesty, his thoughtful process on storytelling and the philosophy of Rastafari.

 

High-end fun at Sunday Spiritz

 

The promoters of the annual Sunday Spiritz are promising a standout event.

"We are pulling out all the energy to support this year's staging of the event, which is aimed at total niceness for all," promoter Bunny Smoka said.

The high-end party will be held on Sunday April 16, at Justice Plaza, 176 Brunswick Avenue Spanish Town, St Catherine. Musical energy will be provided by Container Movements Music, with Krazy Kriss and Unruly Scully on the turntables.

 

Droop Lion to release new single from 'Ideologies'

 

Free People Entertainment recording artist Droop Lion was slated to release Have You Ever Seen the Rain on March 15.

It is the first single from his 14-track album, Ideologies.

Have You Ever Seen the Rain is a cover of a time-honoured classic, and Droop Lion passionately refreshes it with new life.

It was written by John Fogerty of roots rock group Creedence Clearwater Revival and released as a single in 1971.

"This is truly a big song and has been one of my favourites from the very first time that I heard it," Droop Lion said. "For me to do a cover of Have You Ever Seen the Rain is an honour and a pleasure.

It is one of those songs that pose a powerful question, and, in fact, it is more about life than it is about the weather.

The word 'rain' is really a metaphor for so many other things, and therefore, this song can have a different meaning for each person, and at the same time there, is also a universal interpretation."