Vogue Vouches For Valiant As Musician To Watch In 2023

Iconic fashion magazine Vogue has listed 1Diplomats artist Valiant as one of “The 9 Musicians Set to Take Over in 2023,” with which its readers should familiarize themselves.

Predicting that the nine, including Valiant, “will blow up in 2023”, the magazine noted that 2022 was a standout one for new musicians and had also “brought breakout moments that no one could have predicted.”

The Speed Off singer was listed alongside UK rapper Clavish and his compatriot 18-year-old Essex; singer/songwriter Highlyy; London’s 0207 Def Jam’s Debbie; Lola Brooke; Hip Hop, and Jazz child prodigies Domi and JD Beck; Elmiene; Def Jam’s Coco Jones and Addison Rae.

“Making huge waves in Jamaica (where he’s become the first artist to have five songs simultaneously top the country’s YouTube chart), Valiant first started to shape the culture through a TikTok, creating a new slang term when he said “Kotch e hat” in a viral video,” the Magazine noted.

“Valiant used the subsequent attention to release back-to-back hits that have made him an overnight star. He brings his own dark, fervent flow to dancehall, describing his sound as ‘trappa gospel’,” added the publication, which subtitled the article “From TikTok royalty to Dancehall’s new sound.”

In December, Valiant took the top five positions on YouTube’s Jamaica Music Charts with C.A.L (Cut All Losses) at No. 1, followed by North Carolina, Dunce Cheque, St. Mary, and Siance.

Valiant’s last bout of accolades came in December when Bounty Killer heaped praises on him declaring him a “street hero”, whose stage presence and “vibes”, are reminiscent of the late Dancehall star Baby Wayne, who rose to national prominence following the release of his cautionary hit track, Mama, back in 1992.

The Warlord had made the comparison after sharing a video on Instagram of Valiant performing atop a motorcar in the Grizzly’s Plantation car Park, following his brief performance at Sting, which was cut short in the wee hours of the morning.

Valiant has also been endorsed by Professor Donna P. Hope, lecturer in Culture, Gender, and Society at the University of the West Indies, who described him last year, as having a “brilliant career ahead”.

Following Bounty Killer’s endorsement, his fans had said that with the Coppershot artist’s endorsement, Valiant had the Dancehall greenlight and was now unstoppable.  Some also declared the  Oberlin High School old boy, Jamaica’s most promising young artiste, hailing him for being affable and respectful in his onstage display at Sting.

Valiant, who attended St Marys College, Oberlin High School and the EXED Community College, is a native of Mannings Hill in the Stony Hill area.

The singer, whose given name is Raheem Bowes, also worked in the Business Process Outsourcing sector before deciding to pursue music full-time.

Valiant had risen to prominence in October last year, after being captured on camera engaging in a conversation at one of his music video shoots, where he casually uttered the words “kotch e hat, a lie” which later went viral, resulting in many music fans seeking him out after finding out that he was really a recording artist.  

As for Vogue, the publication is an American monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine which covers areas such as haute couture, fashion, beauty, culture, and lifestyle.  Headquartered in New York, Vogue started out in 1892 as a weekly newspaper before becoming a monthly magazine years later.

Since its founding, Vogue has featured numerous actors, musicians, models, athletes, and other prominent celebrities, among them numerous Jamaicans, usually runway and fashion models.

But in October 2015, Vogue published more than 15 articles about Jamaica in one day, about reggae music, artists, dance moves, fashion models and global trends which had been inspired by Jamaicans.

In one of the feature articles titled Reggae Revival, young Reggae sensations the magazine had featured Chronixx, Protoje, Jesse Royal, Kelissa and Kabaka Pyramid, as well as Bob Marley’s grandson, Skip Marley in a full-length article titled Meet Skip Marley: The newest musician from the Marley clan.