Coming off the high of his ‘Talibans’ single which hovered over all other competition to secure the title of the 2023 Dancehall Song of the Year, Byron Messia is focused on further deepening his roots and securing his status as one of the more influential voices of the genre’s modern era.

“I feel like I have achieved something that we’ve been speaking about,” the Jamaican-born, St. Kitts-based artiste says as he reflects on his catapult to fame during a conversation with YCG in his home country.

“It’s a wonderful feeling, mi just have to give God thanks for everything he has done for us because there is nothing without God too. I can say I make mi city proud now. Home is where it all started, it started in this small little lovely island of ours and we can’t forget the sister island, Nevis.”

The 23-year-old, real name Dylan Byron, is aiming to establish a new sub-genre of dancehall, which he coined dance soul, capturing the essence of his unique flow and sound.

His discography includes other major hits such as ‘Moca’, ‘Mad Dawgz’, ’90’z’, and his first 2024 single, ‘Levelz’.

As the Ztekk Records artiste acknowledges the almost supernatural pace of his rise to stardom, he admits that perhaps it happened more quickly than even he anticipated. Over the past year, he has moved beyond being ‘island famous’ as he calls it, receiving the nod of approval from industry giants including Popcaan, Prince Swanny, and Burna Boy, who appeared on a Talibans remix last July.

A meteoric rise to fame has proven, too, heavy is the head that wears the crown.

Controversial comments he made about the impact of his chart-topping single ‘Talibans’, coupled with his initial perceived undermining of the influence Jamaican culture had on his music, saw the entertainer being the subject of criticism from fans and industry peers alike in 2023.

In a series of now-deleted Instagram posts, he argued that the song was dancehall’s biggest hit since Sean Paul’s 2005 single, ‘Temperature’.

Appearing on BBC 1Extra amid the controversy last May, he admitted to host Seani B that he was being “petty” at the time, taking the opportunity to publicly apologize for his missteps on the London-based program.

“The thing about this is, a di fans dem did really feel a way. A people weh actually been a listen to mi music… did feel some type a way. Even when mi a go through mi comments, mi a see comments, ‘Yow, di yute bad enuh, but dat just piss me off!”

Asked how he’s choosing to handle controversy as he charts his way forward, he’s extremely careful about his words.

“At the end of the day, that is not the focus right now, this cancel culture,” he eventually tells YCG.  “All we got to do is be careful of what we do as human beings on a whole, what we say and what we intake everyday,” he adds.

“I love everything about it (the fame), the good and even the bad.  At the end of the day the bad always turn out to something good for me still. I like to read comments everyday, it helps me to become a better person and know that this is life. People are going to be speaking. People are going to say bad things, people are going to say good things and one thing that I learned as the journey continues is that there’s actually more love than hate out there but the hate is always so highlighted that you can think that there’s more hate than love. Big up my fans dem, man. And everybody that has been supporting Byron Messia.”

As he continues to build and expand his influence, the entertainer shares that he’s learnt to guard his intimate circle more closely.

“At the end of the day, you can’t take everybody to the top. You do have to leave deadweight at the end of the day too. You don’t want any distraction or confusion in your small circle to stray you from the end goal that you’re trying to reach  in life. I’ve been encountering that challenge even before I was famous, the dancehall says of navigating fake friendships.  I keep a small circle.”

In Jamaica, where dancehall has its roots and origin, the Andrew Holness administration took a bold step last year in a bid to curb gun violence which it linked to violence-charged music, banning songs like Talibans which promote gun violence from the airwaves.

But asked about his view on the ongoing argument about whether music influences criminal activity, the Kittitian singer suggests that it’s a matter of art imitating reality, not the other way around.

“Let us be real, right. If we do a ratio of encouraging songs that Byron Messia has done, and songs that preach vulgar acts that people don’t like. There’s a very high ratio of encouragement more than the bad that they are trying to display,” he offers.

He further reasons, “If there is something wrong with the music, it’s because there is something wrong with this life. I mean, we singing about things that we see daily, my grandmother used to always say, in order for a creator to be creative, they have to get an idea from somewhere. It could be something they experience or something they just witness all these years over.”

Messia hopes to transfer the success he’s enjoying at this stage of his career to other young artistes.

“We still have plenty work to do still. There’s so much of talented artists in St. Kitts. We have collaborations that we’re going to be doing as well not just St. Kitts but from all around the Caribbean, rising stars, who want a platform,” he shares.

This year will also likely see the release of his next album, ‘Sad & Famous’, produced by Ztekk, Simple Stupid, and Geffen Records, at a date still to be announced.

As he continues on his upward trajectory, he’s choosing to lead with gratitude.

“Mi don’t think mi missing anything from mi life right now, I mean, life is life. It cannot be perfect at the end of the day. The little that I have, looks like the most to others. So my little is all that I need right now and nothing is missing,” he expresses.