{"id":1144231,"date":"2026-08-12T10:49:26","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T10:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1144231\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T10:49:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T10:49:26","slug":"shaggy-im-criticised-for-not-being-authentically-jamaican","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1144231\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaggy: ‘I’m criticised for not being authentically Jamaican’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\u2018I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anyone more authentic than me,\u2019 Shaggy tells Metro (Picture: Dave Burke\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n

Metro journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission \u2013 learn more<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a warm Wednesday afternoon and Shaggy<\/a> and I meet at London\u2019s Langham hotel.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite being born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica<\/a>, he quips: \u2018You guys aren\u2019t equipped to deal with this heat. It\u2019s too hot.\u2019<\/p>\n

The reggae icon, real name Orville Richard Burrell, sat down to tell Metro<\/strong> all about his global chart-topping success, staying true to his Jamaican roots, and his unlikely friendship with Sting.<\/a><\/p>\n

People are always amazed at Shaggy\u2019s spoken voice, that it could possibly be any different from the patois-inflected baritone on the likes of Mr. Boombastic and his other hit songs.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a reason for that.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s down to military marching cadences. I used to come out and sing imitating the German drill instructors. It just stayed like that. I have two completely different voices, but it works,\u2019 he tells us.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"
\n\t\tIt Wasn\u2019t Me propelled Shaggy\u2019s album Hot Shot to massive multi-platinum success (Picture: Parsons)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"
\n\t\tIt Wasn\u2019t Me became a chart-topping smash hit 26 years ago<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"
\n\t\tShaggy\u00a0has sold more than 40 million album units to date (Picture: REUTERS)<\/p>\n

\u2018I get criticised for it a lot, even when I do music I don\u2019t do it in the same way my peers would. Criticised for not being as authentically Jamaican. Half of the people who judge me have never been to Jamaica. I live in Kingston, I was born in Jamaica, I was raised in Jamaica. So, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anyone more authentic than me. I just move a little differently.\u2019<\/p>\n

The singer, 57, who was awarded the Jamaican Order of Distinction with the rank of Commander in 2007, says there\u2019s a common misconception about how Jamaican he is.<\/p>\n

\n

I just move a little differently<\/p>\n

Quote
\nQuote<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u2018I took a different approach when I was doing music, I didn\u2019t dress in red, green, and gold, I don\u2019t smoke weed, I don\u2019t have dreadlocks, I don\u2019t speak in my native dialect all the time,\u2019 he explains.<\/p>\n

\u2018I wouldn\u2019t have got on certain platforms otherwise. I would have been discriminated against. It used to be that people would automatically look down on you because you have an accent. But the way I\u2019ve approached it has served me well,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n

And served him well it has, with two Grammys<\/a> and two Billboard Music Awards under his belt, as well as an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Brown University.<\/p>\n

He even counts some pretty famous faces as fans of his music.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"
\n\t\tShaggy lists Prince Harry and Michael Jackson as fans of the hit song (Credits: Parsons)<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"
\n\t\tShaggy enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in the 1980s(Credits: Parsons)<\/p>\n

\u2018Michael Jackson <\/a>told me he loved It Wasn\u2019t Me and asked me if I wrote the lyrics. I said yes and he replied: \u201cIt sounds like something I would write!\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Prince Harry also said he was a fan<\/a> when he came to Jamaica. My daughter was with me when we met but was very disappointed that he wasn\u2019t on a horse like a real prince,\u2019 he tells us.<\/p>\n

Having worked with so many big names in the music industry, including Robin Thicke, Ne-Yo, and Rayvon, Shaggy revealed the reason for opting out of the chance to work with another huge artist<\/a> \u2013 Rihanna.<\/p>\n

\n

Michael Jackson told me he loved It Wasn\u2019t Me<\/p>\n

Quote
\nQuote<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u2018They asked me to make some songs and see what she would like, but I wanted the experience of being in the studio with Ri. I\u2019ve known her from when she just started, I\u2019ve seen her growth,\u2019 he explained.<\/p>\n

\u2018She\u2019s iconic, but if I\u2019m going to create with her, let\u2019s do it together. Sending records in feels like you\u2019re auditioning. So, I just didn\u2019t feel like doing that.\u2019<\/p>\n

But he is working with one of the biggest names in music this year, Sting. <\/p>\n

Shaggy is set to head to the West End<\/a> to star in The Last Ship, an original musical with music and lyrics by the Police star.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"
\n\t\tShaggy will star in the reimagined 2026 adaptation of Sting\u2019s musical The Last Ship (Picture: Getty)<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m looking forward to sitting down and having cocktails with my brother,\u2019 he laughs.<\/p>\n

\u2018He\u2019s the guy that pushes me to do things that I\u2019m uncomfortable with doing. He helps me to find comfort outside of my comfort zone. We have a friendship that we never thought that we would have. We go out of our way to connect.\u2019<\/p>\n

Shaggy\u2019s new album, Lottery, is out now. He appears in Sting\u2019s The Last Ship at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 22 and 23 September.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tShaggy at Reggae Land\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Last month, Shaggy played to a sold out crowd at Reggae Land 2026, the UK\u2019s largest reggae festival, held every year at Milton Keynes Bowl. <\/p>\n

Tickets for 2027 are already on sale, with weekend tickets up for grabs for just \u00a390.63. Be warned though, early releases go fast, so get them now. <\/p>\n

The line up is yet to be announced, but 2026 saw Burna Boy, Shenseea and Vybz Kartel grace the stage, so you can expect more icons next year too. Visit the Reggae Land website<\/a>\u00a0for more details.<\/p>\n

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