Sweden’s own Junior Natural and The Uppsala Reggae Festival

Words by j-RockaZ

Yes, yes… it’s true that Scandinavia is known for that double horned metal hat that Flava Flav won’t stop rocking along with some pretty harsh winters. But, the ice-cold peninsula is also proving to be an incubator for local reggae and dancehall artists. We posted a story a while back about the tragic loss of a unique female reggae artist from Denmark named Natasja. While not everyone knew her name, everyone knows her poppy, crossover smash hit, “Calabria”.

Well, lo and behold, in comes another young star warming up the region. Junior Natural doesn’t skip a beat on this track produced by Wayne Beckford (a London bloke with West Indian roots). The track was inspired by Jamaican reggae artist Cham’s “Ghetto Story,” but this story was one of a musical journey.

The kid is far from a Justin Bieber type and what a relief. If so, Shaggy might not have shared the stage as they did in Paris a couple years ago. That’s when the world outside of Scandinavia first got wind of Junior Natural…Since then the youth has cut records with several Reggae artists including Lutan Fyah and Gentleman.

So what does this kid mean for reggae music in Scandinavia ? Well the annual Uppsala Reggae Festival in Sweden is a testament to the appetite for reggae and Caribbean culture out there. The festival is sponsored by Red Stripe and it’s happening right now (Aug 5th-7th). The line up is full of talent including Stone Love, Bunny Wailer, Mavado, The Abyssinians, Alborosie and more (who knew these vikings could skank it down pon a riddim?!) Junior Natural is young enough and shows the potential to grow into a internationally recognized reggae talent, reppin’ his corner of the globe…