And his new island hit, “Wanted (feat. Tru Shatta)” is sure to catch an even wider audience this summer with its ready-made wavy beat that makes you want to bop and move.
Venice’s new single has a distinct island vibe to it, which is why he reached out to one of the Caribbean’s hottest rappers, Tru Shatta, to collaborate on the song. When Tru heard the concept for the song and listened to the beat, he was bought in immediately. The end result is a perfect blend of Tru Shatta’s rap and Venice’s smooth vocals.
“When I heard the track I thought it was something kind of different that I hadn’t done,” Venice said. “More of the urban, R&B lane is what most people probably know me for, but this song is more pop and island. I could have done it myself, but I wanted to add even more island flavor to it, so I found Tru Shatta, who is one of the hottest dancehall rappers in the Island of Dominica.”
The single is so catchy that it has already made its way onto some charts, including: #82 on the DRT Top 200, #25 on the DRT Global Top 150 Independent, and #34 on the DRT Global Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop. The summer smash is already riding a wave of success, and Venice said he hopes to parlay that success into building momentum behind two more songs that he wants to release later this year. The first is “Dat Bhabi (Best Friend),” which he said is a more traditional R&B song. The second is “U,” which will be more of an R&B and pop fusion.
Venice first discovered his singing and writing ability about the age of 10 when he would start singing with other people at elementary school. Some of the girls in his class enjoyed his singing and would make special requests of him, often calling him later in the evening and asking him to sing for them. By middle school he had joined the school chorus and was singing regularly in the Gospel choir at church. He started taking vocal lessons and was soon discovered by a label that signed him as part of a teen R&B group called Javé. After the group graduated from high school, they all went their separate ways and Venice decided to pursue a solo career. He moved to Atlanta and began performing regularly at major showcases and with other major artists. Eventually he moved back to his home state of Florida and continued to develop his writing skills. Over the past couple of years he has released an LP and a handful of singles, all of which have gained him positive attention from fans all throughout the South.
Today Venice said he hopes his music is the kind that resonates with people from every walk of life and every generation. He said he’d love to be a Grammy-winning Billboard artist someday, but more than anything he hopes his music stands the test of time.
“I want my music to be timeless,” he said, “but also to be able to cross genres and not just be monolithic. I want people to know me as a guy who isn’t stuck with one genre or sound. I don’t want to be that guy. That limits you as an artist, like someone who does paintings and only uses one color. I don’t want to be that guy. I like this industry and I love music. I think it’s my calling and what I’m supposed to do. When I’m not doing music, I miss it.”
To listen to Venice’s music or to follow him on social media, please visit:
https://www.instagram.com/just_venice
https://www.facebook.com/justvenice
https://twitter.com/ItsMeVENICE
https://www.itsmevenice.com
https://www.soundcloud.com/venice
https://www.audiomack.com/artist/venice
https://www.youtube.com/user/itsmeVENICE/videos
Google+: +venicemusic
Tumblr: @itsmevenice
