Jamaican recording artiste Romain Virgo attributes Don Corelon and Keely Keyz to the success of his most recent single, “Driver.”
The song, which was released on March 24 and directed by Sameel “SAMO” Johnson, features Virgo courting his love interest across the idylls of eastern Jamaica, while he expands his vocal range and packs tender romance and sensual flair into smooth melodies.
The reggae star is well-loved for his sweet-sounding music and captivating lyrics, but for his latest production, he was able to push himself to best convey the intended mood and message of the song.
“I was basically just letting go of my way of singing, and allowing Don and Keely to produce. I was doing more listening and then trying to capture the mood of the song just the way it was meant to be recorded,” Virgo told CNW.
The artiste further said it was an honor working with Corelon.
“He’s someone who genuinely loves what he does and over the years it has been that same kind of dedicated energy, so it’s a blessing every time to be honest,” he said.
According to ReggaeVille.com, Corleon has contributed significantly to the development of several Billboard chart-topping albums. Among these are the songs Rise To The Occasion by Sizzla, The Trinity by Sean Paul, A Girl Like Me by Rihanna, among others. Don Corleon is an undeniably accomplished engineer and veteran producer who spends a lot of time working with potential superstars.
In sharing how the song “Driver” came about, producer, songwriter, and singer, Matthew Keaveny, also known as Keely Keyz, in an interview with VP Records, shared how the song came about.
“Before I even got to a concept for the song I had to figure out melody construction and ‘feel,’ so I drew off of all the songs Romain did previously that did well like ‘Stay With Me’ and ‘Soul Provider,’ and then I drew for a song in the reggae market that did well prior to this and that was Estelle and Sean Paul,” he said.
“I liked the feel of that record – I always did. So I merged all them vibes together and then next concept, what does every woman want from a man more than love, time and money?! They want leadership so me seh cool ‘Driver’ and just took my time and worked on the song and when I sent it to Don he had no complaints, which is surprising cause he’s a hard marker when it comes to music,” he added.
With this collaboration, Virgo “made that record his own,” according to Keyz, who added that it was a great experience collaborating with him and his team.
Describing the message behind the song, Virgo says, “On ‘Driver,’ I’m captivated by everything about her. I’m reassuring her that, if given a chance, I’ll prove to her that I want to be in it for the long run.”
Romain Virgo finds joy in delighting live audiences. He has released three albums to date; ‘Romain Virgo’ (2010), ‘The System’ (2012), and ‘Love Sick’ (2018), as well as nineteen singles including his hits “Soul Provider,” “Stronger,” “Beautiful To Me” and “Star Across The Sky.”
His music has also been streamed more than 57.2 million times on YouTube, 4.5 million times on Spotify, and 24.2 million streams on Pandora.
The Jamaican artiste is ranked in the top 100 most popular artists from Jamaica and receives radio play worldwide in key markets in the United States, the UK, the Caribbean, and Canada.
