Alkaline Earns First Silver Certification In The UK For “Txtin’” With WSTRN

Dancehall artist Alkaline has earned his first Silver certification in the United Kingdom for Txtin’, a 2017 collaboration with the British hip-hop trio WSTRN.

According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the song was issued the Brit Certified Silver Award on Friday (June 21), after it sold over 200,000 units in the UK, as measured by The Official Charts Company. 

Produced by RazorOnTheTrack, Txtin’ explores the culture of modern, phone-centric dating. Alkaline’s smooth verse, however, emphasizes direct, in-person connections, including his ‘no-phone’ rule at home.

The music video, shot in Jamaica, has garnered over 47 million views on YouTube, and the song has nearly 30 million plays on Spotify.

This marks Alkaline’s first song to be certified in the UK.

His other top streaming tracks on Spotify are Love Yuh Everything (30 million plays), Gyal Bruk Out (16 million), Ocean Wave (11 million), and Things Mi Love (10 million).

WSTRN, consisting of Akelle Charles, Haile (Ras Haile Alexander), and Louis Rei (Louis-Rae Beadle), hails from West London—hence the name. The trio shares Caribbean roots: Akelle and Haile’s parents are from Grenada and Guyana, while Louis’ parents are Jamaican.

“Soca and reggae is where it all began. Growing up we listened to what our parents listened to and as we got older, we experimented with other songs,” said Akelle, whose father was in a Reggae band with Haile’s dad.

“It’s in our blood,” he previously told Loop News when asked if their fathers influenced them to start the group. “For me, it wasn’t something I wanted to pursue from a young age, I felt like everything just fell into place, that was the right thing to do at the time and because I enjoyed doing it, it made sense.”

While the three friends pursued music independently, WSTRN was born out of their first collaborative jam sessions in 2015. The group made their mark that year with the release IN2, which is certified 2X Platinum in the UK.

Their 2017 Dancehall track, Ben Ova, is currently certified Silver in the country.

Besides Alkaline, they’ve also collaborated with several other Jamaican artists, including Dexta Daps on Influence, Stefflon Don on Special, Skillibeng on Unload, and Lila Iké on Never Leave.

In May 2024, Akelle was sentenced to 6 years and 9 months in prison for possession of a firearm and ammunition.