Wayne Wonder
Leighton Williams, Staff Reporter
VON WAYNE CHARLES is a rather busy man these days. So much so that when The Sunday Gleaner caught up with him he was just returning from a promotional concert at an undisclosed location in the United States.
However, why should the man better known as Wayne Wonder not be busy? He just broke into the United States mainstream with his album No Holding Back, which to date has sold in excess of 250,000 copies. His single No Letting Go is just starting to release its grip on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after 25 weeks, during which it peaked at number 11.
In addition to his Billboard debut, he has gone on promotional tours in the United States, playing everywhere from high schools to stadiums. He has also ventured to Canada, where his single No Letting Go is said to be getting heavy rotation. His trek has not stopped there. He has also done tours of the United Kingdom where his song is said to be getting rave reviews - and for Wayne that is just the beginning.
THE MAIN FOCUS
"I just did some work in the UK (United Kingdom) and will be touching Europe in the fall. I went to Canada and did some promotion. It's about getting my music out there. I'm not really concerned about how many units I've pushed yet (in terms of album sales). The main focus is to let people know what Wayne Wonder is all about and introduce them to the stuff I've done before and everything will fall in place," said Wayne Wonder.
Still, for an album that has got every imaginable adulation from critics and earned Wayne Wonder more fans across the United States, the crooner has earned chastisement for taking too long to release the second single. He is guilty with explanation.
Firstly, Wonder points out that more radio stations were beginning to rotate the single, hence he wanted to ensure that No Letting Go maximised its potential.
Another reason for the delay in releasing the second single was due to a misunderstanding with Atlantic Records.
"Record companies have a mind of their own. They don't understand my music, so they can't sit down in a office and say we a go release a next single. No. A me deh out pon di road an' a me a do di groundwork an' a dis me a promote an' a dis mi see people a react to when me say taken from the new album reh an' mi do it an people react to it so me know more," he said.
CONFLICT
"So if me seh Friend Like Me an' dem a seh Enemies, it a go cause a friction. But at the end of the day, the bottomline, there was nothing. It was just which was gonna be the next single, that was where the conflict came in," he explained.
It was a conflict that spawned rumours and media reports that the relationship between Wayne Wonder and Atlantic was no more. However, Wonder hastened to point out that was never the case.
"Yuh see wid dat now, dem get it all mixed up. Yuh know how it go with record companies. It's all in the game. Everything is resolved. The bottom line is that we know more about our music. They don't understand our music, all yuh see dem a gwaan yuh nuh. That's why I'm glad that I did the right thing where I got VP involved, cause VP already lay the groundwork with certain things. So we only use Atlantic fi get the full power. So we been doing the groundwork just the same. Dem only have the figures to pull certain things and cut the checks fi do certain things," he continued.
With that hiccup now cured, it is back to business. He points out that he has done a treatment for the second video and its shooting will start shortly. He was unwilling to name a director, but said he was approached by other directors apart from Little X.
In addition, Wayne Wonder does not rule out the possibility of a remix. And he also has plans to put out a third single. However, he is unable to say which song will be chosen.
"That's like asking me what I'm going to get myself for Christmas. I don't know yet, because the album is deep and any song can go," he said with a chuckle.
Yet, for a man who has not recorded a cover song since 1993, his success has not come overnight. He adds that he faced opposition from local disc jockeys when he moved towards writing original lyrics.
"It's like nobody shared my vision. A pure cover song dem boost. It's like dem never have no vision in a what mi a do," he opines.
He continues: "That's why mi out in a di world a toil, cause I've been doing it for years an' mi personally feel seh mi nuh get the respect from people weh mi a do it 'mongst fi years an' mi a put out mi heart inna. An' when mi come an' face the world mi see the world a embrace mi ting, mi a seh Jah know yuh know mi nuh cover a song since 1993 an' mi nuh see nobody publish dem ting deh."
VISION PAID OFF
The vision has paid off for the young man who started out at King Tubby's before moving on to Penthouse and the Mad House crew before branching off on his own.
His decision to spread his wings saw him being absent from the Jamaican music scene for three years, returning last year with No Letting Go. It is this hard work that has enabled him to pat himself on the back.
"Mi a work hard brethren. I don't know why, but you have to work and work. That's what I've been doing all over the years, even when people nuh rate me mi still a work. I don't know why it happened now. You can't dictate the success. It's all about the work and what I put in. Some day people will acknowledge your work," he said.
He adds that he does work with young talent. He points to Demo and Showki Ru as his recruits. However, they seem to be more than recruits, since they also share a song with him on the album.
Wayne Wonder points out that no matter how much he accomplishes he will always remain humble.
"A nuh seh mi a low key, but mi one a way, mi nuh like talk bout wha mi have. Yuh we never hear me a talk bout wha mi have in a mi song. Mi just a continue work hard yuh nuh," he said.
