Sean Paul talks dancehall and about giving thanks for life

Jamaican star Sean Paul discusses his new single and the development of dancehall music.

Sean Paul at the Mawazine World Rhythms International Music Festival in Rabat, Morocco, in May. Youssef Boudlal / Reuters

You just released the lyric video for new single Give Thanks for Life. With the start of the new year, what blessings are you grateful for right now?

Just life in general. As I grew up, I began to appreciate the fact that I am alive and to experience things that I never knew could happen. That’s why I started posting things up on social media where I was giving thanks. You know, we complain a lot, despite the best moments of our lives happening right now. We sometimes focus on how the future will be better, but we should enjoy now. So that’s what that song is about, and it should be part of a new album coming up soon.

Talking about your music, you recently scored a hit by featuring on Fuse ODG's track Dangerous Love. How did that come together?

I met him on the red carpet at an awards show a few years back and he said, ‘I am working on a video’ and [asked] whether I wanted to be involved in it. So we shot parts of it on that red carpet and I thought he was fun and energetic. So we exchanged numbers and then he called me and said he was working on a new song, and I said I was ready. These collaborations are usually a natural process and I don’t think about it too much.

Dangerous Love proved that you can also sound smooth over an Afrobeats riddim. Did that surprise you?

Afrobeat reminds me a lot of dancehall and Soca music from the Caribbean, which is of course where I come from. I really like it and at the end of the day I just do music that I feel. I’ve got to a stage now where I felt I left a mark on dancehall and reggae music. I also did a rock song with Simple Plan and a pop song with a group called The Saturdays. I always enjoy doing different things.

You recently left your record label and became an independent artist. Anything you would have done differently regarding that experience?

That’s a good question because I do think about that. What I would have done was to make sure that I picked certain singles first. Because what happened was that sometimes it came to a vote and people had opinions that strayed away from the artist’s gut feelings. I would have paid more attention to that.

You played a big role in ushering dancehall music into the mainstream. Do you feel the genre suffered as a result of the popularity?

Whenever something becomes successful, it begins to deviate from what it originally was. I did think we lost something in dancehall because of its commercialisation and everybody wanting to be that person that is doing well – and that’s especially the case when you come from a small island such as Jamaica. But I learnt from the greats – Shabba Ranks, Super Cat, Steely & Clevie and Sly and Robbie – and I still have that embedded in me. As a producer I can steer the music back in another way than the major labels.

• Listen to Give Thanks for Life at www.facebook.com/seanpaul