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Serani plays ‘No Games’ about collaborating with young UK native

Published:Sunday | August 21, 2022 | 12:06 AMStephanie Lyew - Sunday Gleaner Writer
Lottie Tute has been attending the Manchester Caribbean Carnival since she was a baby, and reportedly told her parents she wanted to go this year specifically to see Serani.
Lottie Tute has been attending the Manchester Caribbean Carnival since she was a baby, and reportedly told her parents she wanted to go this year specifically to see Serani.
Serani hangs out with seven-year-old Lottie Tute, who he welcomed on the stage during his performance last Sunday at Manchester Caribbean Carnival at Alexandra Park. He was encouraged by the audience as the little girl sang his hit single ‘No Games’ wo
Serani hangs out with seven-year-old Lottie Tute, who he welcomed on the stage during his performance last Sunday at Manchester Caribbean Carnival at Alexandra Park. He was encouraged by the audience as the little girl sang his hit single ‘No Games’ word-for-word
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Serani
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Popular dancehall entertainer, Serani, had a very special duet partner at the recent staging of Manchester Caribbean Carnival at Alexandra Park.

The 40-year-old singer-songwriter welcomed seven-year-old Lottie Tute on the stage during his performance last Sunday, after he was encouraged by the audience who surrounded the child as she sang his hit single, No Games, word-for-word.

The event celebrated 50 years of highlighting Caribbean culture, which Serani said, “was just the perfect platform to showcase a talent like Lottie, who our Jamaican culture has touched and even ignited a passion in music”.

The little girl has been attending the Manchester Caribbean Carnival since she was a baby but reportedly told her parents she wanted to go this year specifically to see Serani.

Serani, who is currently on tour in the United Kingdom (UK), expressed that he has met many personalities throughout his travels but that the youngster is definitely one who has left a lasting impression as he can now call her a friend.

“It was just amazing to see a little girl at her age, a Caucasian child singing my song with so much confidence and knowing all the words at the same time,” the entertainer said in his interview with The Sunday Gleaner.

He added, “Her parents love our music; her mother says that they listen to dancehall music and so, Lottie has heard the song and enjoys same. I feel good having a fan who is of that age. Not only has she shown that interest to perform, she wants to record.”

And the entertainer is not playing any games about working with her. He has shared that there is already a collaboration in the making with Lottie. It is a track that he had been working on.

“Lottie fits the rhythm and message perfectly. The song I’m working on is spreading good energy and positive lyrics and I want to wrap up that song in the coming week. It’s something I had and after my interaction with her, I saw a new direction for it,” Serani said.

He would join the host of dancehall entertainers to have a child featured or involved in a production in recent times. Agent Sasco has been honing the talents of his children and released Caterpillars Can Fly with eight-year-old daughter LC in May 2021. Bounty Killer collaborated with nine-year-old Canadian actress Jazmin ‘Jazzy’ Headley on a sunny-sounding single, titled Sing, Sing, Sing, which was released last week.

Serani explained, “This is not about following a trend, I have never been an artiste to do that ... . It is by chance that I met Lottie and learned of her talent and aspirations. Fact remains, children are our future and she is one of a kind.”

He had the opportunity to spend an entire day with the Tute family where they engaged in games and she listened to Serani’s latest single, Slowly, featuring Nigerian singer-songwriter Oxlade. It is co-produced by Serani for Rockstone Media and Christon, known for work done with Ziggy Marley.

“I just want every talented Jamaican disc jockey to play Slowly, find a way to fuse the Jamaican-Afro mix of a track into their set and let the people, the ladies, hear clean music. They can also look out for the track with Lottie very soon,” Serani shared.

CROSSING BARRIERS

The first production to have made it across barriers is No Games, Serani said, and it has shown that it has a lasting impact on the reggae-dancehall community in and around the diaspora. The single climbed to the top of several international charts in 2009, including the Billboard R&B and Hip-Hop top 100 charts.

Prior to the pandemic, the single was sampled by Grammy Award-winning rapper, Eminem, for Farewell, which appeared on the Music To Be Murdered By album.

Serani heads to Nottingham Carnival today. The dancehall entertainer will make an appearance on one of the four festival stages for the first time. It is known for featuring a full supporting line-up of artistes across the Caribbean who perform soca, dancehall, Afrobeats, baseline house, R&B and soul, as well as sound systems from Nottingham, Birmingham and Leeds.

“I have been going from event to event, and I am a little exhausted but very elated to be part of these events that spread our culture and attract more persons, old and as young as Lottie. It’s like our motto, ‘Out of Many, One People’, the coming together especially as we celebrate 60 years back home in Jamaica,” Serani said.

stephanie.lyew@gleanerjm.com