Dancehall artiste Tommy Lee Sparta has his eyes set on international success in 2013.
According to publicist Keona Williams, the artiste has successfully developed a local fan base and now yearns for the international break.
Along with some potential international collaborations, Tommy Lee Sparta is expected to kick off his international tour soon. The artiste is already billed to perform in places like Canada and Europe.
"Last year was exceptional, he (Tommy Lee) did a lot of things that was being done for the first time by a young dancehall artiste. He did extremely well on Sumfest and he has over one million views on YouTube for his single Some Bwoy. He has a strong fan base, especially online from mostly young people and teenagers," Williams said.
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The artiste was also recently awarded the Breakthrough Artiste of the Year in Kenya, signalling that he was already making moves internationally.
"The fact is that he has been successful on the local level and is now a household name. This year we are focusing on his international tour and this year will be even better than last year. We also have international collaborations in the making that we won't reveal as yet. Just know that he is getting established overseas, so international artistes want to work with him and we have a strategy in place to ensure that his presence is felt both locally and internationally," she said.
In addressing the controversy that was sparked by Tommy Lee's single Uncle Demon last year, Williams believes certain industry players were simply unappreciative of Tommy Lee's success. She did not say if the artiste would continue to sing about his controversial demonic moniker, instead she referred to the single as just a song.
"The low point of last year was just that some persons were not appreciative that a young artiste was reaping so much success, because he blew up so fast. He doesn't consider their reaction as a low point though, he sees it as motivation. He has songs like Jah Watch Over Me, No Love and Mommy You Mi Love that doesn't get mentioned and those are positive, but they chose to highlight Uncle Demon," Williams said.
Tommy Lee Sparta currently has a new song called Party None Stop that is expected to create a buzz in the dancehall in coming weeks. There are already plans in place to shoot a music video before the artiste leaves for his upcoming tour abroad.
He has songs like Jah Watch Over Me, No Love and Mommy You Mi Love that doesn't get mentioned and those are positive, but they chose to highlight Uncle Demon.
