Anthony John: "You can even sing when you stamp your feet or when you clap your hands!"

Is Anthony John your real name ?

No that's my stage name.  Originally my name was Choppa John.  Then I realized that there were 5 more persons named like that in the music.  So I decided to change it.  I kept something that the people know : the John.  And then I added Anthony, which is the name given to me by my mother.

Where are U originally from?

First and foremost, I am from Africa. Then I represent Saint Ann in Jamaica, the same place where Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Marcus Garvey and other great people come from. From Saint Ann, I moved to Kingston then.

And then you decided to move to France?

No, England was the first place I travelled outside of Jamaica. Being in England, it really opened my eyes and from there I knew there was a place for me in the reggae music. In Jamaica, I knew it already. But because of so much politics, and competition and bad vibes, you lose the focus sometimes. But in England, I realized Anthony John is known out there in the world and from there it was all good.

How did you then move to France?

Well I met my French wife in England. And I went back from Jamaica still for a year after I left England.  Afterwards, as far as my wife was pregnant with a little baby, I decided, why not going to France and stick to my family and try the music from a different angle. And it is great, I don't lie, I really like the vibes of France.

In which year did you reach there?

I've arrived in France on July 14th 2007. From then I've never been back to Jamaica. But the thing is that I have been all around Europe. To Turkey and all those places I used to dream about. So that's nice too.

Do you like the vibe in France?

As I said before, France and Europe as a all have a very good vibe. People are open and they appreciate what I do which is reggae music. It's more than words can say, me love Europe.

Alborosie said that Jamaicans created reggae music but that Europe was keeping it alive. What do you think about that?

Well I would say that too. He's not wrong when he's saying that. Because in Jamaica they really don't know what them have. It's only after everything blow up to proportion for an artist that they jump on the wagon and say "Yes he's a Jamaican, he's my brother, he's my friend". You know what I mean? And it shouldn't be like that. We should be supporting each other through thick or thin. That means that when the harvest is ripe we all harvest together. But it's not like that presently in Jamaica. Europeans cherish, support and love reggae music sincerely. I don't know if it's an hypocrite thing but I don't think so. It's sincere for real.

You release an album in January 2010, called Creation.  Was it recorded in France?

No those were older tunes recorded in Jamaica and England,… No French production on this album.

But you also work with French producers?

Yes of course I do a lot of work with French producers, English producers and some from near and wide. Each time I am travelling, I try and do some work locally. It's all good to plant seeds in all those places. I just want the whole world to know of Anthony John. Get a first knowledge and taste of what Anthony John is doing. Each artist is different and I would like the massive to tune in to my difference and see what they think about it.

We saw you at the Uhuru Festival with the Dub Akom Band and at Reggae Geel 2010 you performed with the Blackboard Jungle Sound system.

I do it in many different ways. That's how I was brought up in the music. You can even sing when you stamp your feet, or when you clap your hands. I also started doing it in an acoustic style. I already did three acoustic shows with my guitar. That's nice too. I do it in a dubstyle, acapella, any way !

What's the difference between a dub show and a concert with a band?

I just tend to do different sound that the dub massive can appreciate, more rootsy. When I'm in the band, the mood is more modern. I don't call it dancehall but new roots, I know how to the thing to give the people some energy. There's a reason for my name Mr Music, there's a deep and true reason for it. I can sing on nu-roots riddims, ska, soul, any beat. And that's music. In this regards, no matter the beat, my texts never change. I always stand up for equal rights and justice and peace towards men.

Have you often played with Blackboard Jungle?

They are the first sound system on which I played since I arrived in France. So our story goes back to a couple of years. They also do production and I recorded a couple of tracks for them. We released a 10" called "Kings and Queens of Babylon" on their label.