Five Questions With Serani

“I literally feel like my year is done,” says Serani. But don’t misinterpret the music professional’s statement as an expression of dissatisfaction with the way the year progressed because 2022 has been an eventful time in his career.

“It has been a year of firsts, lots of investment into the music, and I believe I can call this chapter complete,” he told The Gleaner.

Serani celebrated 40 years around the sun. He has successfully delivered several productions and performances, including a tour of the United Kingdom, where he appeared on the 50th annual Manchester Caribbean Carnival. There he met one of his youngest fans, Lottie, who joined him on stage and has, since then, recorded with him in the studio. In October, his over-a-decade-old Billboard-charting single, No Games, was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for exceeding sales for more than 600,000 units. To top things off, Serani performed with Burna Boy at the National Stadium last Sunday during the Love, Damini concert.

There are many videos of both Serani and Burna Boy performing their track, Secret, in packed arenas and stadiums but separately, with you mostly hearing the audience chime in on the verses of the missing artiste. On Sunday, after three years, the two stars were in the same place, at the same time. Serani could not be happier to pull the curtains close with that performance as he prepares to make even greater memories in the new year.

In the past three months, Serani has also released several songs with elements from different sounds – My Style; Say Yes, a refix of Burna Boy’s Last, Last; It’s My Birthday (Aroma), and She Got It, a collab with fellow Billboard-charting reggae and dancehall star Gyptian, all within a month of each other. In this week’s Five Questions With, he talks about the experience on stage with Burna Boy, how he plans to spend the holidays, and what he has up his sleeves for 2023.

What was it like to perform inside the National Stadium to that large audience and alongside Burna Boy?

Alright, first things first, I don’t think I have performed in the National Stadium since 2008 when I made a guest appearance during a World Cup qualifiers match. You know, whoever is normally doing well at a specific time may get called to perform, not necessarily for a paid booking, just for the love of music and to be seen and heard. And when a crowd gathers like that for a sport, to have them sing your song during half-time is just fulfilling. For my performance with Burna Boy, to be back inside there and surrounded by friends and people I interact with in the industry locally (because a lot of times I’m on a show, but have no friends there), it was amazing. I haven’t seen him since the video shoot either, and I’ve looked forward to performing Secret with Burna Boy from [the] jump, but it was just when the time was right, and for it to not be forced. It’s actually my favourite of [the] songs I sing because of the melodies, and singing alongside him was dope because I don’t have his voice, and he doesn’t have my voice, so hearing it live on stage, everything comes together beautifully, and I think it’s the loudest I’ve heard an audience sing it.

What is one of your greatest holiday memories?

I would have to say this is the greatest memory. Specifically, because I hardly performed in Jamaica in recent years – not out of choice – I’m focused on where I get booked. I always love when I can let go some vocals at an event here, and I had no idea I was going to perform. If not for my manager Julian Jones-Griffith, I would probably never have performed. As I said, I have wanted to perform the song with Burna Boy, so for the first time to be in Jamaica during the Christmas season, my year is made.

So, how will you be spending the rest of the holidays?

Christmas, for me, means family. I usually don’t like to work too much around the holidays even though it’s a good time to make money, but I believe I spent approximately three years while building my career just focused on work, work, and work during the holidays. To be working and not living, nuh mek nuh sense. I’ll be with them. I’m still going to the studio because I have been working on two albums, years and years of hard work – some of the songs are up to eight, nine and 10 years old – plus two years of creative work for the live album. My manager is actually trying to merge two into one (laughs) just to have the best of the best on one project.

How does that work? Even if the sound an artiste or producer has described is modern, doesn’t producing a song 10 years ago mean you would have had to tweak it to keep up with the times or to match the time of its release?

The song I did 10 years ago has been made about five different times. The song I wrote and the main instrument, which is a guitar, will always be in the song. I made that song, while on a plane. Every single time I made it over, it always had a guitar and some background vocals mixed into it, and it doesn’t matter what beat or sound is popping at the time; I can always make adjustments. It is the song Lottie is featured on and one song that needs to get out there, but she is patiently waiting for its release.

Here’s something random for you. Are you a pet parent, and what will you do for your pets this Christmas?

Yes, I am. I have two dogs and some random lizards around the place. I love my dogs, they are Rottweiler mix, and they are also my security. But no … I don’t buy Christmas gifts or make any special dinners for them for the holidays. We did take a picture for Christmas last year, though (laughs).

stephanie.lyew@gleanerjm.com