TimeOut Singer will charm crowd

Justin Wellington brings an eclectic blend of music to the casino over the weekend

l CAIRNS CBD

| Nick Dalton

A PAPUA New Guinean singer, who produces a blend of pop, reggae, R&B, dancehall and island music, hits the stage at the Reef Hotel Casino’s BAR36 this Sunday.

Casino entertainment manager Bruce Stewart said in recent years Justin Wellington, also known as his initials JW, and his music had taken the world by storm.

“He is most famous for his version of ‘Iko Iko’ as ‘Iko Iko (My Bestie)’. He has released three studio albums.

“The Papua New Guinean born singer has emerged at the very forefront of the music scene throughout the islands and beyond,” Mr Stewart said. “His charm and charisma have captured the hearts and minds of scores of adoring fans, and his beloved songs have become household favourites time and time again,” he said.

“Justin’s unique style and sound is an irresistible blend of pop, reggae, R&B, dancehall and island music.

“His music is of course heavily stemmed from his diverse musical influences, but it is also undoubtedly a result of his life experiences in his home nation Papua New Guinea, and from many years of living, travelling, and performing abroad in North America, the South Pacific and South-East Asia.

“After the staggering success of Justin’s debut album ‘Much Love’ (2005), which produced the dance floor favourite ‘I Wanna Give You Some Lovin’ and the Pacific-wide anthem ‘Much Love’, his follow-up album ‘JW’ (2008) was no less impressive adding to his repertoire the sentimental ballad favourite ‘In Love With U’ and the silky smooth, dancehall laced ‘Fire’ - both multi-national no.1 smash hits.

“The expectations were high for Justin to come back strongly and reproduce the magic that he captured on his first two albums, the follow up album, ‘Reign of Morobe’, which critics have labelled as a ‘musical masterpiece’.

“It features the tracks: ‘Runaway’a fun and infectious zouk/reggaeton number about a weekend escapade, and a certified number one in several countries; ‘Island Girl’ - a work of genius and a radio number one in New Zealand, this song is an incredible reworking of the classic 1950s ballads that many music listeners still cherish so dearly today; ‘Your Love’ (featuring Sharzy) is an emotional and heartfelt tribute to Justin’s grandmother, his lifelong hero and mentor; and the title track ‘Rain of Morobe’ featuring internationally acclaimed PNG artist Oshen. ‘Rain of Morobe’ is a high energy dance track that tells the story of the torrential rains and storms that are commonplace in the Papua New Guinean province of Morobe, the place that both Justin and O-shen call home.”

Mr Stewart said his international breakthrough came with a cover of ‘Iko Iko’, originally recorded by James “Sugar Boy” Crawford in 1953 and popularised by The Dixie Cups, Dr. John, Captain Jack among others.

“Justin’s adapted version of the song as ‘Iko Iko (My Bestie)’, which he actually released featuring Solomon Islands group Small Jam in 2017. It received worldwide attention as part of the social platform TikTok challenge,” he said.

“As a result, the cover was released by Sony Music UK on June 3, 2019, and started to gain international popularity in 2021. His version makes various changes to the lyrics of the verses, and has its own original sections, but keeps the chorus the same.

Justin Wellington performs at BAR36 on Sunday from 7.30pm.