February 25th, 2011 | By
Mavado is back in JA after coming off a 8 city tour of Europe. Chase Cross Stacious and Mavado performed 3 times in Germany – Hamburg, Cologne and Berlin, Switzerland, Scandinavia and at the Amsterdam Reggae Festival.
“Its my third tour of Europe and it just gets better,” said Mavado. “Its always a joy to see people from all nations in the crowd who’s first language is not English singing along to my songs. Its a great feeling and inspires me to continue making great music. Life on the road can be tough, you have to just condition your mind and get physically fit because its just travelling and shows day after day. Its a joy to see the people’s reaction out there 7,000 miles away from mi yard so its something I love doing.”
The tour then went on to break new ground for Mavado in Scandinavia, visiting snowbound countries with temperatures of -17 degrees.
“This tour we ventured into markets Mavado hasnt played before,” added manager Julian Jones-Griffith. “Promoters in Helsinki, Finland, said it was the biggest Dancehall show ever there. The Stockholm and Copenhagen shows were also very well attended and the crowds were full of energy. These shows were on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights so to see Dancehall music getting that support so far from its epicentre is encouraging.”
Wednesday saw the tour land in Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city and an emotionally-charged stop for the Gully Gad as it was in Zurich his Father lost his life. Mavado performed for nearly two hours until he was so horse he couldn’t sing any more.
The tour rounded out in Berlin, Germany, and another packed club before a long flight back to the island. Mavado currently has the hottest song in Jamaica with the Stephen McGregor-produced Pepper and is working on his next album set to drop this summer.
“We’re excited about a track called Delilah, which will be released on my own label,” said Mavado. “Its a song about the reality of relationships and I’ve performed it only once live in the UK in December and its had the internet buzzing since then. Its gona drop next month.”
In other Gully Gad news, Mavado’s Stulla Wednesdays will be reborn in the coming weeks at Starlight, a new venue in New Kingston.
Stulla Tonic Wine is being brewed to perfection and will be available in stores in the coming months and Mavado will be appearing alongside mentor Bounty Killer and others at Follow the Arrow this Saturday night.
In whats set to be another busy year for the Gully Gad as he is booked for appearances in the UK, Canada, Africa, Australia, Trinidad, Costa Rica, the filthy rich Saudi city of Dubai, and even more in the upcoming months.
