CRAIG JACKSON and KEVIN BLAIR will guide you through this bio with citations on fashion trends, Voicemail‘s place in the Jamaican dancehall scene and the release of new video and audio recordings in 2011. Voicemail‘s new album “Next Level” will be released in 2011. It contains 14 songs.
Craig says: “It might be the best album we've ever done!“
Kevin adds: “I think we got a lot of great songs on this record and we spent a lot time in studio recording songs and developing ideas. The recording process took us almost a year, I really like how Voicemail sounds in 2011. You should definitely check it out!“
While we produced songs and music videos for our new album, a tragedy happened and Oneil Edwards, one member of the group, passed away. He became a victim of robbery in Kingston, Jamaica. Voicemail comes from a place that has one of the highest murder rates in the world. It's especially sad, because Voicemail always illustrated a positive life attitude. In their lyrics, they implement important social values like to stay away from crime and to fill life with joy and happiness. In many songs, they deal with relationship issues and it honors them, to have an emancipated picture of women. With events like the "Education is no Joke Tour" they want to encourage the society in their home country to act responsibly and to understand the importance of acquiring a good education.
Craig: “Men, as well as women, follow dancehall, but we are focused on the ladies. I mean, we are handsome guys, we articulate well. And women like a man who is put together. Being stylish is just the icing on the cake in the dancehall space.“
Kevin: “it‘s important to get an education. The biggest weapon is education and to study the business. It is not always as glamorous as it looks. Be strong in your decisions .“
The group has worked on 5 new music videos and 14 songs over the last year and a half. The new album is entitled: The Next Level. It was Oneils Edwards primary desire to make it the best record possible and he recorded vocals on almost every song. This will be the last release of the group in it‘s original form. The release date is set for 2011. It will be available in Japan, the U.S. and Europe and through digital distribution.
Voicemail is working in different fields of the music business with producers, labels and brands. In the past, they created hit songs with established producers like:
Stephen McGregor (Credit: Sean Paul album - Imperial Blaze)
Robert Livingston (Credit: Shaggy album - Hot Shot)
Supa Dups (Credit: Bruno Mars, Eminem, Mary J. Blige)
Don Corleon (Credit: Rihanna, Sean Paul)
Red One (Credit: Lada Gaga album - Bad Romance)
Craig: “Our level of professionalism sets us apart. The fact that we are very punctual, very orderly and we constantl chan- ge the stigma of dancehall (of being hardcore) by introducing some fun and music for the ladies.“
Voicemail is particularly successful in Japan since they released their debut album “Hey” in 2006 and sold double platinum (100,000 copies). Their next Album “Let’s Go”, distributed by Japan’s Pony Canon Label was released in 2007 and sold 40,000 copies. The 3rd VOICEMAIL album entitled: “Jump Off” sold 80,000 copies in 2008. The following 2 years, Voicemail produced more than 80 songs, in preparation for their 4th studio album "Next Level". In contrast to their previous 3 released albums, they decided in 2009 to work most exclusively with The Titans, producers from Germany.
Kevin: “We are constantly reinventing ourselves; we want to be consistent for fans, always abreast of our field”.
Craig: “Our message is simple, no matter how bad your day is, just have a good time.“
On climbing the success ladder, Voicemail did their first music video in 2005 for the song “Wacky Dip”. It was produced by Grammy Winning Producer: Donovan Bennett (Don Corleon) and created a new era in music, fashion and dancing in Jamaica. Being the “it” group that constantly comes up with new dance moves and catchy lyrics helped them to progress outbound, extend their popularity and to gain thousands of fans everywhere in the world.
Kevin: “Style is what makes you comfortable, no matter the cost.“
Craig: “As I have tweeted recently, style is 20 per cent clothes and 80 percent attitude.“
In 2010 Voicemail placed their latest music videos “Dance The Night Away” and “Show it” in international TV rotations. “Dance The Night Away” was recorded in Jamaica and came out on Sony Music in Japan. (Produced by Conroy - Washroom Ent.) “Show it”, is a feature with the artist “Demarco, who also produced the song. After release, it entered the BET Top 100.
VOICEMAIL is steady on tour. With key events such as Sumfest and Spring Fest the Caribbean can experience VOICEMAILs entertainment and live performance. Kevin, Craig and Oneil have toured and do regular series of shows in Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, the U.S, Europe and Japan. They are leaving the footprints of their talent to win new fans as they rock the Dancehall and R&B world.
