The collaboration includes a multi-album deal with Protoje, Lila Iké and Sevana
In.Digg.Nation Collective, the label and artist management company founded by GRAMMY-nominated Jamaican artist Protoje and also home to Lila Iké and Sevana, announces a deal with Six Course/RCA Records. All three artists will release projects through a multi-album venture.
April 16th marks the first release of this fruitful partnership. Lila Iké, one of Jamaica’s most promising stars, will unveil her latest single and video for “I Spy,” produced by Izy Beats (the same hit maker behind Koffee’s “Toast”). In this playful song over soft guitar licks, the soulful singer beckons her listeners with innocent flirtation and a sweet falsetto. “I Spy” will be featured on Lila Iké’s debut EP, which will drop shortly after her new single. Sevana and Protoje will follow with new music later in the year.
Protoje founded In.Digg.Nation Collective in 2014 with a mission to unite like-minded talent and evolve Jamaica’s limitless export of music. This major label partnership is yet another turning point for him, his team and the island’s music as a whole.
“I feel very grateful to have been given the opportunity to not only impact my life and career journey with this deal, but also that of the two other artists on my label (In.Digg.Nation Collective) – Lila Iké and Sevana. I’ve always felt that one of the biggest challenges for Jamaican artists is the lack of exposure on the world stage. With a label as globally strong as RCA, they are able to provide us a platform to showcase our talents on an even broader international level. I really like the team there and what they are doing, and how they approach music – from the ground level, all the way to the top,” states Protoje.
Lila Iké expresses similar sentiments, “The RCA team I met has really good energy and is just as excited about music as I am, so it’s just up from here! They also have some of my favorite acts. All these artists are doing very well, so their success to me is a good indicator of RCA’s ability to cultivate talent.”
Sevana says this partnership is a “big deal for me, especially with the kind of music I’m making. Most Jamaican artists go their entire careers never acquiring major label help. All the work I’ve put in over the past 5 years has led up to this moment. I feel blessed, grateful and more motivated than ever.”
Peter Edge, Chairman and CEO, RCA Records adds: “We are thrilled to be working with the dynamic and gifted musicians and creators that are the In.Digg.Nation Collective. Protoje is renowned in the world of Reggae and his collective, partnered with the RCA and Six Course team is an exciting combination to expand the global reach of great music.”
Archie Davis, CEO, Six Course Media Group/SVP, Marketing, RCA Records offers: “Reggae is quickly moving to the forefront of what’s happening in music globally. Protoje and his collective at In.Digg.Nation are leading the way, and taking the genre and culture to new heights. I’m honored to partner with Protoje and his In.Digg.Nation Collective, along with Lila Iké and Sevana to contribute to the future of Reggae music.”
Born and raised in Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica to singer Lorna Bennett and former calypso king Mike Ollivierre, Protoje blends hip hop, soul and even orchestral jazz into his native sounds of reggae and dancehall. The musical prodigy hailing from Jamaica, along with a collective of fellow artists, began getting mainstream attention for their addictive melodies and conscious lyrical messages in a movement dubbed the “Reggae Revival.” Publications such as Vogue, Rolling Stone, The Fader, and Paper have declared him one of the brightest talents out of Jamaica. His catalog thus far consists of four studio albums: Seven Year Itch (2011), The 8 Year Affair (2013), Ancient Future (2015) and A Matter Of Time (2018). As a producer, he receives a co-credit for Rock & Groove Riddim (2019). The success of his latest fourth studio album A Matter of Time earned him his first GRAMMY nomination for Best Reggae Album and his national U.S. TV debut performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He has toured with Lauryn Hill and appeared on major festivals including Coachella, Glastonbury, Afropunk, Reading, & Leeds and Lollapalooza Chile, reaching audiences far and wide with his genre-fusing sound.
Sevana is poised to reach great heights with her limitless vocal range and soulful depth. Iconic singers like Celine Dion, Beyoncé, and Anita Baker have inspired the Jamaican-born chanteuse, and now Sevana looks to follow in their footsteps. Sevana effortlessly flows between her soaring vocals and bold Jamaican patois, blending traditional R&B/soul that influences her sound and the Caribbean’s tropical percussive rhythms she was raised on. She is the quintessential triple threat talent – singer, actress, and model – making her Jamaica’s “it girl.” Sevana got her musical break in 2008 with the girl group SLR, placing third place on Digicel Rising Stars (Jamaica’s equivalent of American Idol). Then, she was introduced to international audiences through her feature on “Sudden Flight” from Protoje’s 2014 album Ancient Future. She has since released a soulful self-titled solo EP in 2016, the infectious single “Sometime Love” in 2018 and the uptempo dancehall inspired hit “Nobody Man” in 2019 along with “Haul and Pull” off the Protoje produced riddim Rock & Groove. Sevana has earned notoriety by The Fader, Complex, VICE/Noisey, BBC (1Xtra), BBC 1 Radio and has graced the cover of Riddim Magazine’s Spring 2019 issue. Over the last year, she has landed solo festival performances at Boomtown (UK), Reggae Geel (Germany) and Rototom Sunsplash (Spain), Sole DXB Festival (Dubai) and joined Protoje on some of his major shows, including BRIC’s Celebrate Brooklyn! NYC concert and Jamaica’s largest annual music festival Reggae Sumfest.
With only a handful of singles, Lila Iké (pronounced Lee-lah Eye-kay) is already on the brink of stardom. The straight-shooting free-spirited singer has an edge and ease in her voice that creates an immediate gravitational pull with her listener, fusing contemporary reggae with elements of soul, hip-hop and dancehall. The fast-rising songbird from Manchester, Jamaica is gaining attention at home and abroad with her distinctive delivery, old-school sensibilities and modern-day swagger. She recently landed features in The Fader, Billboard and Flaunt and landed “Artist To Watch” lists for BBC 1xtra Hot for 2020, Complex and Relix Magazine. In 2019, she embarked on her very first solo tour throughout Europe, hit the main stage at reggae’s largest festival worldwide Rototom Sunsplash in Spain, performed on Puma Middle East’s stage in Dubai at Sole DXB Festival and opened for Protoje on his U.S. tour. Her and labelmate Sevana also joined Protoje on his sets at Reggae Sumfest (Montego Bay, Jamaica) and BRIC’s Celebrate Brooklyn! (NYC, USA). Having appeared as a featured guest on tracks by Protoje (“Flight Plans”), Royal Blu (“Believe”) and Koro Fyah (“Got it For You,” “Raggamuffin”) and on mixtapes by Addis Pablo & Equiknoxx Music and Yaadcore, she is now building an impressive single catalog of her own. Songs include “Biggest Fan,” (2017), “Gotti Gotti” (2017), “Second Chance” (2018), “Where I’m Coming From” (2019), “Sweet Inspiration” (2019) and “I Spy” (2020). She is currently gearing up for her debut EP in Spring 2020 In.Digg.Nation Collective/Six Course/RCA Records.