One1 finds viral hit with ‘Pat It Down’

Dancehall artiste One1 is bringing the fun aspect back to dancehall with his single Pat It Down which has been trending for days on TikTok under the platform's 'Popular' tag.

He believes that the humorous, wig-patting song demonstrates that dancehall songs don't have to revolve around scamming, drugs or guns to gain popularity.

"The fun side of dancehall has returned. This means that people want fun in our music again. There have been too many sad songs to depress people ... too many songs about lawlessness. That was never what dancehall was about, and I am so glad that so many people are accepting my light-hearted, fun music," he said.

Social media users have posted over 1,000 videos performing hilarious dances, delightful parodies or simply singing along to the lines of the song, which puts a spin on the common habit of women patting their itching scalps instead of scratching.

"They are all singing the lines word-for-word and everybody knows the song," remarked One1, whose given name is Milton Wray. "I see people who are hospitalised, people in wheelchair, students around the Caribbean and people in the US singing and dancing to my song and that is so thrilling for me."

The song comes fresh off the heels of One1 being selected as a top-10 finalist in the Jamaica Festival Song Competition with his song Sixty, celebrating Jamaica's 60th year of Independence from Britain.

"Remember that 22-year-old dancehall artistes are dime-a-dozen. There is nothing special about that. What makes me special is that in my 50s, I can do current dancehall and compete. That makes me unique, and so I see it as an advantage and not a disadvantage," he said.

One1 is known for songs such as VIP Girl, Made in China and Plastic Girl.