JAMAICAN DANCEHALL STAR TEEJAY LINKS WITH GRAMMY NOMINATED AFROBEATS ICON DAVIDO FOR “DRIFT” REMIX
Teejay, one of Jamaica’s most versatile and talked-about dancehall artists, unites with Nigerian Grammy-nominated superstar Davido for an official remix of his explosive dance-inspired anthem “Drift.”
Listen HERE via Warner Records.
The Panda-produced remix arrives with a high powered music video shot in Lagos, Nigeria and is from the Montego Bay native’s anticipated debut I Am Chippy, slated for release in early 2024 and executive produced by diamond-selling artist Shaggy.
The song’s sultry Afro-Caribbean rhythms pulsate as Teejay’s unshakable cadence kickstarts the momentum. He passes this energy right to his partner-in-crime Davido, as he promises to “make her dance,” while the sound of a camera snap punctuates his invitation to “take my picture.” They go big in the accompanying visual—which was notably shot in Nigeria. Private planes, champagne, and tricked-out cars rev up the action while Teejay and Davido shine in every frame.
The remix unites two cultures and features a universal sound that transcends genres, bridging the gap between West Africa and the Caribbean. Teejay and Davido connect their signature melodic tones on “Drift” (Remix), along with their shared vocal stylings where English, Jamaican Patois, and Yoruba mashup into what feels like one universal language.
“Working with Davido was just pure vibe. You could just feel the authentic energy from the music, coming from Jamaica going back to Africa, because it originated from Africa. Just to have the combination of a Jamaican artist and a Nigerian artist. It is the perfect timing, and it is good for Jamaican music to show that the world is embracing our culture. It was just energy, you know,” expresses Teejay.
Teejay’s summer breakout single “Drift” continues to go the distance with more than 60 million global streams in addition to over 15 million YouTube views on the official music video. The contagious hook and choreography is storming through nightclubs across the globe, climbing the U.S. Billboard’s charts (R&B/Hip Hop Airplay, Rhythmic Top 40 Airplay, and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay), and amassing over a quarter of a billion TikTok views for its viral dance.
Teejay has been a mainstay in Jamaican dancehall for almost a decade, known for his impeccable vocal range and lyrical dexterity. He has made an impact on the island’s vibrant musical genre and pumped out hundreds of anthems – “People” (2022), “Bitcoin” (2021), “Unfaithful Games” (2020), “Rags To Riches” (2020), “Moonlight” (2020), “Stimulate (Push It Een)” (2020), and “Up Top Boss” (2018). He has earned the respect from his fans and dancehall stars like Mavado, who worked with him in the infancy of his career, to Vybz Kartel, who has guest featured on Teejay’s tracks like “Up Top Gaza” & “Pressure”, to Grammy-winning Jamaican superstar Shaggy, who is the executive producer of his forthcoming debut EP I Am Chippy. Earlier this year, he made his television debut on BET by teaming up with Shaggy for a performance of “Gyal Dem Time.” Watch HERE.
Everyone from Cardi B and Offset to Burna Boy has been seen dancing to his explosive viral TikTok hit “Drift”. In September, it was the #1 Most Shazamed Song in NYC and DJ Funkmaster Flex summoned Teejay to the Madison Square Garden’s stage to perform his anthem in front of a sold-out 20,000+ crowd for Hot 97. He also lit up Afrotech in Austin, TX, showing the Lone Star State how dancehall is done!
Teejay will continue to tour until the end of the year. On Dec 16, he will join Lil Wayne and Friends Performance at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, MD. Then, he heads back up the U.S. East Coast on Dec 30 for Hot 97’s Winter Jam Performance at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. He also makes stops in The Caribbean throughout the month with shows at Sandals Grande St. Lucian on Dec 19 in St. Lucia and at Glamour The Ultimate New Year’s Eve Gala on Dec 31 in Negril, JA.
MORE ON TEEJAY
From Glendevon, Montego Bay to stages all over the world, Teejay’s fresh, melodic-driven edge is defining a new chapter in his career. Born into a family with three older brothers, the artist was constantly surrounded by music. With little resources, he found salvation in music. By nine years old, he released his first song “I Know” on Don Corleone’s 2005 Seasons Riddim written by his siblings Tippa and Ice. The song received heavy rotation on Jamaica’s IRIE FM radio station. This was just the beginning of his drift to success. He landed a coveted spot on Jamaica’s largest annual music festival Reggae Sumfest in 2015, catapulting his name from his hometown to the entire nation. As he continued to record on riddims with a slew of singles taking over the streets, he developed a cult following. 2023 became the year Teejay would finally hit his much anticipated milestones. He linked up with Grammy-award winning and diamond-selling artist Shaggy on the instant hit “De Gyal Dem Time”. A few months later Teejay’s “Drift” took the world by storm. A departure from his lyrically-laden singles, the infectious record accompanied by a dance created by Gabi Don, dominated TikTok and became a vehicle for the artist to start charting. Additionally, the artist became the most recent dancehall artist to sign to a major label where he found a home at Warner Records. His 2024 EP I Am Chippy will be an inspirational tale of his journey thus far.
ABOUT DAVIDO
In 2023 Davido cemented his position as a global force within music. Often called “The King of Afrobeats”, the American born, Nigerian raised icon has amassed over +5 billion streams and over +1.2 billion video views across his 12-year career. The most followed Afrobeat artist across social media, Davido has been a forerunner in connecting the world to Afrobeats. Earlier this year Davido became the first African artist to top itunes Album Chart with the release of his +1.2 B streaming and internationally acclaimed 4th studio album “Timeless” garnering three Grammy nominations including Global Music Album of the Year for “Timeless”, Global Music Performance for “Feel” and Best African Musical Performance for the hit smash, “Unavailable. Davido’s 2023 hot streak also includes U.S and International sold out tours, “Timeless’” record breaking streaming numbers, and Tik Tok leadership with over +100M videos to his “Unavailable” dance challenge, and countless television and media appearances including The Tonight Show, Live with Jimmy Kimmel, The Daily Show and The Kelly Clarkson Show among others. In November 2023 Davido also successfully sold out Atlanta’s State Farm Arena with his first ever A.W.A.Y Festival. Davido powerfully entered the global music scene breaking records in 2019 with hit singles “If”, “Fall”, “FIA”, the tracks marked the beginning of the adoption of Afrobeats stateside. Career milestones have also included two sold out shows at London’s O2 Arena – which in January ‘24 will become a three when he headlines the monumental London venue for a third time. Headlining AfroNation around the globe and closing the 2022 World Cup with a performance seen by over +250 million viewers. Earning over 30 awards and nominations internationally including this year’s 2023 MTV VMA Award Nomination “Best Afrobeats” for his single “Unavailable, in addition to MTV’s EMA for ‘Best African Act’ and ‘Best International Act’, two MTV Africa Music Awards, a BET Award for ‘Best African Act’ and ‘Best International Act’ (2018), two Nigerian Teen Choice Awards for ‘Top Featured Artist’ and ‘Choice Male Artist’, Davido’s global impact only continues to grow. In April 2024, Davido will perform at New York’s monumental Madison Square Garden for the first time, get tickets here.
