[FEATURE] VIPER PRESENTS: BLVK H3RO

The first Reggae artist to ever receive a nomination in the prestigious Best Global Music Performance category at the Grammy’s, Blvk H3ro opens up to VIPER…

What five words define your sound?

Bold, Eclectic, Meditative, Neo-Reggae, Neo-Dancehall

Tell me something unique about your creative process?

The most unique thing about my creative process is that it’s all based in real time, meaning I don’t write verses or drop voice notes of melodies or put lyrics down for later, it’s all created in real time. Waiting for the right beat? Nah, I just go into the studio and let it flow based on what’s in the atmosphere at that time. The most exciting time for me is when everything from the beat, topic, melodies, harmonies and production are done at one time on the spot.

Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?

Hmmm, well the first song I would love for a first-time listener to hear is ‘It Nuh Easy’ because it’s a song that’s so relatable – no matter where you are in life. It was based on a true story so it comes from the most genuine and innocent place in me; it was like one stream of thought just zapped into me and out of my mouth in the studio in one go!

What inspired you to make that song?

The inspiration behind it was my life, my environment and the mindset we were all in during the pandemic. Even my rich friends were suffering major losses that money just can’t replace, so truly in my heart I wanted to capture that feeling of hopelessness in a song to describe how we all felt at the time, but in my simple Jamaican phrase, ‘It Nuh Easy’, because it wasn’t easy at all. 

What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music? 

My most vulnerable moments happened while making this album ‘On A Mission’, it really pushed me to the brink of my existence. I had to tap into my traumas, family life, intimate life, past lives and many other dimensions of who I am. I had to face it all head-on! I turned all that energy into musical vibrations, so I definitely felt my most vulnerable but was excited to share this project because the time that it was made was such a raw and real period along my hero’s journey.

What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?

My best moment on stage was hearing people sing my songs in unison, word for word. For me as a creative, that’s an almost indescribable emotional and spiritual high.

Worst experience? 

I can’t think of any because I’ve been fortunate not to have any really bad incidents so far, but I think forgetting lyrics and having to freestyle until I can figure out where to take the song next might be one of those scary experiences but it also makes me stronger as a lyricist at the same time, so I still give thanks. 

What is your favourite song to perform?

‘Original’ is probably my favourite song to perform because it has that raw energy! It doesn’t matter what stage I’m on or where in the world I am, once I play that tune it’s like people just have to move. The tune is also nostalgic of the 90’s golden era in dancehall so everyone can feel the familiarity and then muscle memory just kicks in so they start moving like Shabba or Patra or Supercat.

Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?

Michael Jackson. I feel like he ultimately planted that seed because music was never my plan growing up. But at this point looking back, I can tell that hearing ‘Off The Wall’ by MJ for that first time in my room changed my whole view of music and even changed my life without me realising it at the time.

What’s the meaning behind your name?

BLVK H3RO stands for tenacity, overcoming obstacles and standing up for my dreams. It’s about finding my own voice and defining myself. It also speaks to my heritage and my mission. Everything in my life happens in threes and the number three is expansion and creativity so my name is a reflection of all those principles into one symbol of hope and strength for myself and my people.

If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?

Possibly something in the sciences. I’m big on computer science and technology. I’ve also always loved the brain since it’s a big computer system as well so neurology was a big dream of mine when I was younger, so maybe if I wasn’t a musician, I would be a neurologist!

What’s success to you?

Wow! Every year my definition of success changes ‘cause the more you tick off goals you realise most of those are stepping stones to the real goal which is peace, peace of mind, peace in body and peace with the world – environment, people etc. I really just want peace, so I’m working very hard through the chaos of creativity to manifest my peace.

What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?

In 2019 I released my first solo project, like a demo album, called ‘The Immortal Steppa’ and the response from the fans plus the feedback from the music community was so disheartening, partly because it was too forward-thinking of an album for them at the time. So in 2020 when the pandemic hit, I chose to shift gears creatively and to consistently release more singles to find out what sounds work and which ones don’t work. It was through this process that I found songs like ‘Young Boss’ with Skillibeng, ‘Original’ and ‘It Nuh Easy’.

Where can people keep in touch with you? 

I’m mainly on Instagram and Twitter if my fans or new listeners want to engage with me, see how I think and how I carry myself, but as an overall brand Blvk H3ro is on every single platform, even Tinder!