Florida multi-instrumentalist, solo artist and producer Joey Calderaio is back in action with his latest single “Paradise”, featuring Sierra Lane. The fresh reggae jam is released just in time for summer, so we thought to kick the tune up a notch by getting to know the man behind the music!
Meet Joey Calderaio — rising reggae extraordinaire.
From sharing stages with Ky-Mani Marley and Tribal Seeds to recording members of Passafire in his home studio, there is nothing Calderaio can’t achieve. That said, we felt it a dire time to make his acquaintance. We asked Calderaio about his projects — both ongoing and old — and what’s to come. Here is what he said.
Let’s talk “Paradise”! What was the inspiration behind the song’s message?
- JC: The inspiration behind the song “Paradise” comes from a feeling I think many of us can relate to — working hard and, often, overwhelming ourselves in search of contentment. Yes, working and making money are both clearly essential; however, it’s also crucial that we take time to prioritize our own mental health. I wrote this song at a time where I was feeling just that.
- During the writing process of “Paradise”, I kept reiterating to myself the melody, ‘Now she’s running — running away — far from all her troubles of society’ and continued to flow with the song having a female protagonist.
- Side note: throughout the pandemic, I’ve been following a lot of musicians in my area. There was one in particular that continued to pop up in my feed, because she had an incredible voice. I decided to reach out to Sierra Lane, because I thought her style would fit perfectly with the song and, sure enough, it did. Her angelic harmonies really brought the track to a whole new level. We’re currently wrapping up with shooting the last few scenes of the “Paradise” music video, to be released in the next month or so.
It seems like you’re a man of action! How did the global quarantine affect your music? Your drive?
- During the first few weeks of the pandemic, I saw my gigs quickly get canceled left and right. The entire industry was periodically halted and I had no source of income. At first, I was entirely hopeless, seeing no point of return for the music scene. Once I realized I had so much time on my hands (something I hadn’t had for quite some time), I decided to work tirelessly on building my social media presence, recording weekly YouTube videos and writing original music. I saw my work was paying off and the momentum was driving me to continue writing/recording.
- I created a Facebook group called ‘Joey’s Bag of Donuts’ to connect personally with my audience, which now has over 1.6K members. My fans have shown me an immense amount of love and support this past year and I could not thank them enough for that. As my energy and drive to spread positive music continues, I plan to continue releasing original music.
Did you get to fully celebrate your ‘Moving Mountains’ EP before the shutdown?
- ‘Moving Mountains’ EP was released in January 2019 — a little over a year before the pandemic affected the US. At that time, I was still relatively unknown in the American reggae-rock scene. I suppose it was more of a personal celebration than anything. Many of those songs sat on my computer for years before they came to find their way onto the EP. Before it’s release, I had so much hesitation and self-doubt in my abilities to release those tracks. Eventually, through the help of my loved ones, I built up the courage to finally release my own original music. I haven’t looked back since!
Is the release of “Paradise” teasing a full-length album to come?
- Yes. I’ve stayed relatively quiet in the past few months on social media, compared to the months prior. Most of my time nowadays is devoted to releasing my first full-length album or playing shows locally to fund the project. I have extremely high hopes for the album’s success and have built a supportive foundation to help propel it’s breakthrough.
- In January 2021 I teamed with Reggae 360, who has helped to launch my career to the next level. This full-length album will feature well-known artists throughout the industry and encompasses some of my best tracks written yet. To summarize, I’m pumped.
So, what’s up next for you?
- As mentioned before, the full-length album is my main goal of the year. In the meantime, I will be releasing “Paradise – Dub”, produced by E.N Young, “Paradise” the Official Music Video and ‘Moving Mountains (Deluxe)’, containing previously recorded tracks over the last year. I also have some major shows to announce soon, including some opportunities I never would have dreamed of. I will continue to hustle, release new music and connect with my fans. After all, that’s what this is all about.
Purchase or stream “Paradise” single, feat. Sierra Lane:
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