Skinny Fabulous And The Influence Dancehall Had On His Career
Vincentian singer-songwriter Gamal Doyle better known as Skinny Fabulous says dancehall was the first genre he fell in love with.
Speaking with the Jamaica Gleaner, Skinny said that his interest in music was sparked by dancehall, and, in an attempt to start a career as a recording artiste, he often penned lyrics to rhythms from the Jamaican genre.
“I have a genuine appreciation for dancehall music, for artistes like Bounty Killer and so many others, and after I came to study at The University of the West Indies’ (UWI) Mona campus, the interest metamorphosed.”
While pursuing studies in Media and Communications at UWI, Mona Campus in Jamaica – the artiste made it his prerogative to gain a better understanding of Jamaican culture, attitude and overall way of life. Back in those days, the artiste admits to emulating his career off Bounty Killer.
“Back home, in St Vincent, it is not the norm for me to include dancehall in my set, but it is something I would do in any performance because the respect for dancehall is so tall. I can say, if I do a dancehall track at any point in time, it is received very well by the people.”
Upon graduating in 2010, he returned to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and there the fusion of dancehall married with soca was birthed. The daringly unique signature style he developed had aggressive elements of dancehall laced with social commentary and progressive heavy bass-line.
The success of his career is evident as he is a five-time Soca Monarch winner for St Vincent and the Grenadines and holds the 2019 Road March title for the collaborative soca hit “Famalay” with Trinidadian soca artistes Bunji Garlin and Machel Montano.
Some of his most notable tracks over the years are now esteemed at the helm of the Caribbean’s soca playlist; “Head Bad” (2009), “Behaving the worst” (2014)“Mash Up International” (2015), “Watch Thing” (2016), and ”Happy” (2018)
“When I come to Jamaica to perform, it almost allows me to express the love and respect I have for the dancehall,” he said.
Although he has episodes of asthma, Skinny Fabulous claims that road is his playground and enables him a platform where he can let loose.
“It has been worse; now I have control of it. Two puffs of the [asthma] pump before I go on a stage and two puffs after,” especially in the busy carnival seasons.
Performing a tight schedule between Trinidad and Jamaica carnivals, the artiste had this to say, “Fortunately, Jamaica Carnival falls right after Trinidad’s, so I am normally already in soca mode. I enjoy coming to Jamaica to play on the road, I think it is one of the better carnivals – a growing, real destination carnival – so I am looking forward to it, every day I do. And I’m impressed with the way it has grown exponentially over the past five years.“