Locs worn like a crown. Singer/songwriter, guitarist Indie Allen’s eclectic blend of Reggae and pop music has been well received by many industry heavy weights. Originally from Montego Bay, Indie’s first introduction to music was in high school where he was the lead vocalist for an Acappella group. He later found his way to Kingston where he went to Edna Manley College, on a journey to making his mark on the music industry. He has been mentored by the likes of Michael Fletcher, SHAGGY’s Musical director.
This Jamaican artiste has an extremely unique sound and is far different from the average reggae/dancehall artiste. He fits perfectly into a reggae-pop genre that mimics the sounds between Bob Marley and Jason Mraz.
Caribbean Entertainment Magazine got the chance to chat with Indie about recording his EP, “Indie Moment"
When did you start singing?
I started singing when I was like 8 years old. Seeing my brother sing in a church that’s all I wanted to do, but never started writing songs until I was 16 years old.
Are you signed to any record label?
No am not signed to any label right now.
How would you describe your music? My music is of the singer songwriter style. It's a combination folk, pop and reggae to create a unique sound
Have you found that as you are starting out your career in the music industry there are aspects that have taken you completely by surprise. If so, what are they?
Well, yeah there's a notion that once you're talented you'll get that big break and to my surprise finding out that there is always a lot more machinery than just talent that supports any successful artiste. So that changed my outlook on the industry gave me good insight actually. The other surprise I got is that sometimes the right people you need to meet knows the person right next to you so you should always have good people around to have an effective network.
What was the inspiration behind your new EP “Indie Moment?” Time, I've been waiting so long to share my experiences, my words, my emotions, and this EP was the birth of that moment I've been waiting for. Time was the biggest inspiration for this EP; all the tracks were specific moments in time that I wrote about. Life is on a continuum time you can never get back, why not live in the moment. These are things a thought about whilst working on the project and it was a joy to complete my first EP independently.
What’s your favorite song on the EP and why? That's a hard question, I love all the songs on the EP, but I would have to say Jamaica is my favorite though because simplicity is everything. Guitar and Vocals create a whole other level of listening experiences, it does something for the soul and that track has that effect on me and everyone else who's heard it
Who inspires you musically? Damian Marley is one of my biggest musical inspirations; I grew up on his music thanks to my brother... lol. I listen to a lot of singer songwriters as well like John Mayer, James Bay, just to name a few. So it’s best of both worlds for me
Who have you always dreamt of working with and why? I've always dreamt of working with Damian Marley, his music speaks for itself to the answer the question why. He's just a great Artiste that I look up to because of his style messages and energy.
What is the greatest thing about working in the music industry? And what would you change if you had the opportunity?
One of the greatest things about working in the industry is I get to do what I love and follow my dreams. I would create more visible connections for up and coming Artiste to be heard by gate keepers and successful managers. Sometimes it’s hard to meet the right people in a big industry and I would do something about that if I had the opportunity to help upcoming artiste have easier access to connections they need to make
What’s the biggest crowd you have performed in front of and where?
I’ve performed for a crowd I think is a little over three hundred people at Wickie Wacki Music Festival before; it was really a joy, nice intimate irie vybe.
From your experience so far, what have you found to be most challenging? And how are you dealing with it?
What I find most challenging is finding the right support team. I think that’s all about timing being in the right place, right time, having that right demo song, for that right person to hear it. That was the most challenging for me at one point. I just took it one day at a time, one show at a time, see now my EP is finished, and we are doing Q&A's about it. The EP is getting noticed by the right people so consistency along with great timing helped to overcome that challenge.
What is your proudest moment in your career so far?
My proudest moment in my career so far was completing my first EP project and having it noticed by someone who can really take things to the next level for me. If you don't try anything you won't get anything done. So I was pretty much proud about getting my EP finished and the avenues it has opened up am looking forward to
What are your other hobbies outside of music?
I love video games, I love to cook, make fruit juices... lol… and I do a little reading here and there, mostly world news some novels
Where do you hope to see yourself five years?
I see myself as one of the world’s biggest artiste in the next five years, possible Grammy awards too... lol... along with selling out 90 thousand capacity stadiums around the world. I may laugh but these things I do believe I can achieve in five years.