Gyptian

Spotted singing in his local church at just seven-years-old, Jamaican Windel Edwards was transformed by the tutelage of producer Ravin Wong into one of the island's leading reggae stars. Nicknamed Gyptian because of the way he hung his shirt over his head and twisted his facial hair like a pharaoh, he mixed roots reggae with smooth, romantic ballads and rose to fame locally with the hits Serious Times, Is There A Place and Mama Don't Cry before the release of debut album My Name is Gyptian (2006). Refusing to follow the dancehall genre's inclinations towards songs about misogyny and gun violence, Gyptian developed a socially conscious style as the hypnotic R&B grooves of second album I Can Feel Your Pain (2008) edged him closer to the pop charts. His breakthrough came when single Hold Yuh became a huge 2010 summer anthem in America, buoyed by a remix from rap star Nicki Minaj, with third album Hold You (2010) cementing Gyptian's status as worldwide star and earning him the 2010 MOBO Award for Best Reggae Act.