Evaflow: The sky is just the beginning

With his 'Skystarter' ideology, rising reggae star Evaflow has taken a full-bodied approach to developing his music, his branding, and his fan base. Though it's early days yet, he says that his focused research and meticulous methods are already paying off.

"Skystarter came from his philosophy that even the limit (the sky) is just the start. That theme runs through a lot of things I do," Evaflow told The Gleaner.

It is also the name of his company and his band and the nickname given to his supporters. "I've focused my values and what I want to present to the community. I focus on integrity and being relatable and approachable. You don't have to be perfect - we all fall down. Being a Skystarter is about tenacity and determination."

Before he pushes full steam ahead churning out his music, the all-rounder has established supplemental elements to growing his empire. Evaflow is already selling merchandise. "I just released my third collection of merchandise. It includes T-shirts, hoodies, totes, hats, etc. It might sound glamorous, but it's easy. With the Internet, you can learn how to do these things," the recording artiste notes.

He believes that one good thing about figuring out your brand before entering the market is that it reduces the chance of being influenced by external forces. "Branding is very important for any business or personality. It actually helps you to organise your message and place in the industry."

For Evaflow, another important element in getting a recording artiste from the studio to the stage is building the right team. In his experience thus far, the law of attraction has worked in his favour. "I was always a DIY person for a long time, and I think I'm okay at it - I work well on my own, I'm self-motivated. But as an artiste, you have to balance your creative life."

Reverting to the wellspring of the Internet, Evaflow referred to business leaders and 'Internet gurus,' pressing the importance of developing a team. Particularly in the arts, a team becomes necessary as being creative saps a great deal of energy. "I went inside myself and tried to attract the right people. And believe it or not, people showed up in my life one by one," he revealed.

Some of those who showed up is formed the Skystarters band. Since taking full form last February, they have played 17 shows together, while Evaflow has done eight solo performances.

BAND MEMBERS

The band consists of Rajae 'G-Sharp'/Short Boss' Rochester (bassist), Stephen Robinson (guitarist), and Jowayne 'Nero' Campbell (guitarist). The rest of the team comprises Jodeane Bailey, Odane 'Metro' Thomas, Jermaine 'Biko' Thomas (engineer), and Tameka Coley (manager).

"The band started off as everybody doing it for me. Now, it's happened that it's taken on its own life. It's bigger than me now. All of dem brejin. We all feel like a family," Evaflow revealed.

The Skystarters band gets together each week for rehearsal - which is another necessary element of musicians' brand development. "If we're not improving, it don't make no sense. We want to do more shows, it's just a matter of time, and when the time comes, are we going to be ready?"

Earlier this year, Evaflow released a music video for his single Familiar Stranger. He also released a lyric video with the intention

to connect with international fans of reggae music. So far, the lyric video has twice the number of views as the music video. Evaflow reports that many of his fans are from Spain, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Kenya, and Japan.

Before the year ends, Skystarters can expect another lyric and music video from this rising star.