Raging Fyah (Jamaica)

Photo: Martei Korley

Hats off to Raging Fyah for the steady growth they’ve shown. They started out fresh out of Edna Manley College and strategized to take their band to the next level by staging their own monthly concert, Wickie Wackie Live, in Bull Bay, St Thomas. Fast forward to recent times which sees them traveling the world to spread their roots reggae flavor, amassing #Fyahsquad devotees. Two albums later, they have headlined tours in Europe, featuring on Billboard’s daily blog, signing with VP Records, and staging a successful upgrade of their five-year-strong concert series —Wickie Wackie Music Festival— last December, Raging Fyah is clearly poised for a big break. Lead vocalist Kumar Bent shared some insight into the exciting things they’ll be doing next. —Tami Tsansai

How would you describe your sound?

Kumar Bent: Roots rocking reggae – irie vibes.

Tell us a little bit about the place you come from.

KB: We are all actually from different parts of Jamaica. Each from a different parish.

Tell us about the moment where you knew you had broken through as an artist.

KB: I think artistes should never feel that way, but we do have a sense of pride knowing we have been working as a team to produce two studio albums, and managed to tour extensively around Europe and other countries. Now it’s about looking forward and continuing to grow. We feel very confident with the release of this third album and the works.

What were your highlights in 2015?  

2015 was a great year for us but visiting our next door neighbor, Haiti, was a real eye-opening experience and a big influence on this new record.

What should we expect to see and hear from you in 2016?  

Our new album Everlasting will be released and the first two singles will be out next month. We also have the Set In Stone tour coming up alongside the California-based Stick Figure band who asked us to be part of their nationwide tour of America, so we will be in the US from March to April.