Shawa - Touch Di Road -

Reggae and Dance Hall artist Shawa aims to make signature sound accessible to a global audience

PHILADELPHIA, PA – A Reggae sensation who is on a mission to completely restructure the dancehall culture is setting the world on fire with his latest hit single “Touch Di Road.”

Shawa is a Trinidad & Tobago native who now lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His sound and style are a unique blend of multiple influences that are shaking up the traditional sounds of Reggae and Dancehall music. And as that sound gets in front of more ears, this fast-rising young artist is quickly becoming a global phenomenon.

“Touch Di Road” takes the Caribbean vibes of his heritage and puts them through his unique filter to create something that’s both modern and progressive. True to the best Dancehall music, it’s a song that will get people up on their feet, but it’s also a song that will make people think a little more deeply and encourage them to look forward to good times yet to come.

“With everything we’re going through the Coronavirus and the lockdown, the Dancehall culture just kind of went away,” Shawa said. “You could say the Coronavirus is the enemy of Dancehall. But when the lockdown is over, we’re gonna go out and hit the streets. We’re gonna paint the streets red. We’re gonna “Touch Di Road”. So this song is about getting ready to party as soon as this thing is over.”

Shawa said part of his purpose in blending new sounds with the traditional Dancehall rhythms is to reach a more international audience. He said Reggae has often been limited to a specific audience and as such, there’s a deficit of international artists within that genre. But Shawa wants to take his music global and make it available for everybody.

“Reggae shouldn’t just be for a Caribbean audience,” he said. “It should be for everybody. That’s why I say I want to restructure the Dancehall culture. It can’t be underground anymore. It can’t be structured around immoral things, like it has in the past. I want to polish it and represent it with royalty. Everyone is a king – that’s one of our slogans. And with that comes a polished, clean sound.”

As Shawa continues to expand on this sound and style, he said he’s interested in working with all of the major DJs and collaborating with other artists to create something truly original. He’s not a one-dimensional artist and can seamlessly flow between multiple genres and popular music as a whole. More than anything, he’s looking for global appreciation of this brand of music that he said has always been great and for which he has a deep love and appreciation.

“Touch Di Road” is currently available across all streaming platforms under the Global Excalibur Music label.