St. Croix Artiste Kruziano Ready To Join The World Of Dancehall

Kruziano has officially made his debut in Dancehall music with his new single One by One. The young artiste, whose real name is Orlando Melendez Jr. hails from St. Croix.

The 19-year-old is known for his melodic hits on his island like Love it or Hate It. Since coming on the scene his music has been influenced by Jamaican beats.

He recently sat down with the Jamaica Observer to share a little more about his love for Dancehall and Reggae and what attracted him to the genre.

“I first heard the Answer rhythm as a reggae version by Marcia Griffiths (I Shall Sing). It was reintroduced to my attention by the lovely Empress Yvette and then I dug in some more and the Super Cat (Vineyard Style) and Bounty Killer (Spy fi Die) versions really amazed me,” he said.

He admitted to loving the music of Bounty Killer and Vybz Kartel and this love would help to inspire him to record One by One. The song was released last October.
“The music and culture has helped me in my most difficult times and they feel right. I feel as if I must give back to dancehall in the little ways I can, whether it is paying homage or fusing it to create a new sound.”

He has two tracks that have been gaining popularity. The first one Want You was recorded with United States Virgin Island (USVI) artiste Pressure Buss Pipe and is a more of a groovy reggae vibe, while the other song Negacion shows his dexterity and is a Latin track in which he sings in Spanish.

“I came from the melting pot of the Virgin Islands where positivity is accepted whether it come from the moon or the ocean. We love great vibes. Rastafari and Jamaican culture has made its way into our infrastructure and the music is only a piece of what we have been impacted by,” he said.

His career is only just beginning and little is known about Kruziano at this point but the young artiste who also has roots in Puerto Rico seems like one to watch.

On his Facebook page, he said: “Much Love & Gratitude for the worldwide recognition I’ve been receiving recently from numerous countries. We will remain humble, keep working hard and with God’s guidance we shall reach the top…🙏🏽🙌🏽 Gracias Papa Dios.”