Returning from what seemed like a four-year hiatus, reggae artiste Junior Kelly says he has a lot of new material that he is ready to unleash.

Known mostly for his 2000 hit Love So Nice, Junior Kelly made an impact in the music industry with songs like Smile, Black Am I, Take Me There, Sinking Feeling and Missing You. However, four years ago, he decided to take on a different path.

"For the past four years I've been doing mostly tours in Europe and South America. Every year I make sure I get into areas that I haven't been to. I've been writing, so I have tons of material poised to be released and recorded," he told THE STAR.

return a comeback

However, Junior Kelly said he would not refer to his return as a comeback, as he says he has been touring.

"It's not a comeback for me. I was always everywhere doing what they (worldwide audience) want. Now, I decide to cut it off and do some recording. The show dem still a gwaan, di show dem nuh dry up. But the studio a call me right now," he said.

Already, he has released songs like Been There, Piece Of The Pie and Heads Up. But he does not plan to release too many songs at once, as "only one song can go number one at a time." Therefore, he plans to promote one song then move on to another.

Although he has been somewhat absent from the local scene, Junior Kelly says it will not be hard to make an impact this time around.

"I am already established and I have a well respected name in Jamaica as opposed to an artiste weh neva come on the scene yet," he said.

neglected music

However, he said the industry has changed in some ways. He said he noticed that authentic reggae music was being neglected.

"People are not as cultural as they used to be. The songs that are playing are more dancehall-oriented but at the same time, the smart people dem a foreign keep doing reggae music and are making money from it. If we see that is what they (international audience) are loving, why we fi drop it?" he questioned, noting that he would like to see attention being paid to both dancehall and reggae.

In addition, Junior Kelly says there are more computer-generated rhythms and productions, and more persons have opened their own small studios. With the increase in technology, he said music videos are cheaper and the quality is better.

Meanwhile, he says he will be touring places like Panama, London, Africa, Venezuela, Japan and Europe in coming months. And with favourable feedback to Been There, he says he is looking forward to pleasing local audience once more.