KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP):
WHEN KEVIN Lyttle recorded Turn Me On three years ago, he never expected the song would be a hit beyond his native Caribbean island of St. Vincent. But the recording has taken off in Europe, making the little-known artiste an overnight star.The song, a mix of Caribbean soca and Jamaican dancehall, earned the 26-year-old singer a four-album deal with Atlantic Records. His self-titled debut CD will be released in July.
"The song has really taken off and things are really looking up for soca," Lyttle told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "I'm trying to take the music in a different direction by incorporating new elements so it can find a new audience."
Soca, a fast-beat spin-off of calypso, has never found a following outside of the Caribbean. Its biggest success in the United States came in the early 1980s when American singer Buster Poindexter covered the tune Hot, Hot, Hot by the artist Arrow of Montserrat.
To date, Turn Me On has sold 810,000 copies worldwide, with its biggest sales coming in Europe. Last year, the song climbed to No. 2 on the British national charts.
Lyttle hopes the CD will emulate Sean Paul's Dutty Rock which struck a chord with American hip-hop fans. It sold more than 2 million copies and won a Grammy award for best reggae album in February.
