Samuri takes warrior spirit to the music

Up-and-coming artiste Samuri is determined to carve out his place in the music industry like his uncle, Ninja Man, who is a general in the dancehall army.

With his uncle being the undisputed 'don gorgon' of dancehall, the entertainer was so inspired to walk in his footsteps that he called himself Samuri.

The young entertainer, whose given name is Lavon Staple, told THE STAR that "music gives me peace of mind".

"I learned that you can't truly do music unless you love it. There are times you do recordings and spend all that time into it, and you believe that it will be successful; but then disappointments come in. It is like you have to go back to the drawing board, so it can be difficult," he expressed.

In February, the 31-year-old, who hails from Marl Road, Kingston, dropped a single titled Can't Hold Mi Down, which was produced by 4 bar Music. He recalls getting his first single in 2011.

"Honestly, I was elated because some big artiste was on the riddim. I was like, 'Yea, mi a guh buss now.' I was among three other young artistes, and that was a big accomplishment for me."

As he looks far into the future, Samuri's biggest dream is to see his name on billboards and to take his talent international.

"I want to win all the Grammys. But if I win even one, that will also do," said the entertainer.