Skiifall’s voice tells a story. There are the Caribbean inflexions of his birthplace in St. Vincent, the slightly harder-to-place traits of his bilingual upbringing in Montreal, and the slang that manifests both – a hybrid identity formed in opposition. It’s this unique blend that helped project Skiifall’s breakthrough single “Ting Tun Up” to international acclaim back in 2020, sounding simultaneously familiar and entirely fresh. These threads also gradually disentwine on his latest EP Lovers Til I’m Gone, which sees the OVO-cosigned vocalist return to the sandy shores of his childhood.
For an artist who made his name driving the drill sound forward, Lovers Till I’m Gone marks a sharp left turn – a 180, even, back to the reggae and lovers rock classics he heard growing up. It’s a surprisingly compelling fit, with Skiifall unveiling a timeless singing voice that could easily go toe-to-toe with the likes of Beres Hammond and Horace Andy, alongside production from Kenny Beats and a choice feature from Jorja Smith.
When we sit down for coffee in East London, Skiifall explains that this new sonic direction was partly driven by a desire to make music that his mum would like to listen to. “It’s really cool to have fresh, new music that sounds similar to what our parents – or their parents – would have listened to way back when,” he explains, “If someone was to approach them and be like, ‘Yo, do you remember these songs from when you were young?’, I feel like they would all pass that test.”
This emphasis on heritage also extends into the Rubberband-directed short film, Mystery Man, that accompanies the project. Starring Skiifall as the lead, the film is shot on the Vincentian beaches of his youth and also features cameos from friends and family, but, beneath the surface, there’s a haunting presence that hints at the conflicted emotions that accompany his return to paradise.
“Growing up, it was my biggest dream to become an actor,” Skiifall tells me, excitedly explaining the retro visual direction of Mystery Man and how he adjusts his vocals to fit the narrative of the new EP. In a funny way, Lovers Till I’m Gone marks a vindication of this childhood dream, except here it’s his personal story at the centre of it all.
Below, Skiifall dives deeper into the stories and influences behind this double-release.
You moved to Montreal from St. Vincent when you were eight. How was that?
Skiifall: There’s no autumn in St Vincent, there’s only summer. So, when my mom told me I was going to come visit her, I thought what I was gonna see was autumn. But, when I arrived, the snow was past my knees, it was crazy. I had to start wearing snow pants and this big ass jacket when I went to school. But it was easy for me to adapt to. I learnt French in literally six months because I was so young and my teacher was really good, so that allowed me to go to the park and socialise and stuff. I also had a friend in my class who was from St Vincent, so I wasn’t a total outcast.
You’ve mentioned before that you consciously held onto your accent when you moved. Why was that?
Skiifall: My mum never learnt French and I give thanks for that. Maybe it would have allowed for her to get better chances, but I think that her remaining that way allowed me to keep my heritage too. My brothers have the accent as well, but they were born there which means their English is a little bit cleaner than mine. But they still can’t fuck with me on the French. I love learning French. Verbs have always been my thing. Like, my teacher would be like, ‘Oh, we’re not studying that yet,’ but I wanted to study it.
I feel like that hybrid really helped “Ting Tun Up” blow up. From a London perspective it sounded familiar, but also fresh.
Skiifall: My boy Dev, who’s also Vincentian, is literally the one that inspired this whole Skiifall thing. I was always making music, but Dev was always to himself with headphones in his ears, SL or Digga D playing and, finally, I got into it. I’d been trying to find ways to express myself within my language [Caribbean dialect] just because words flow way easier when I’m rapping in my native tongue. Even though I can still speak or rap in English ‘properly’ or whatever, I think what brings that edge to my music is my digging back into how things first started. [YAMASATO’s] way of producing adds so much more to my music too.
I grew up on Soca, Dancehall and all of reggae in general, but at a certain point I broke apart. Now, I’m able to go back, look at certain things, and it’s like, ‘Whoa, this is what I’m missing!’
– Skiifall
How did that process translate to this new project?
Skiifall: Me and Yama, we had already attempted to make lovers rock music but we never had access to certain things that Kenny [Beats] had access to. The first beat Kenny played to me was “Mystery Man”, and it spiralled from that. But I am a vocalist first, before anything. So it was like, even though the flow has to be new, how do I create that new world between me and the [lovers rock] sound? I grew up on Soca, Dancehall and all of reggae in general, but at a certain point I broke apart. I was getting older and thought it was boring. Now, I’m able to go back, look at certain things, and it’s like, ‘Whoa, this is what I’m missing!’ My life is all about studying, and using what I study to share my trials and tribulations.
It’s interesting because there’s so much beauty in the EP and the short film, but I couldn’t help feeling that there was something darker beneath the surface, too.
Skiifall: [The film’s director] Simon wanted to have this sort of dark spirit overshadowing the beauty. There’s this spirit that’s following me around, which is Danga – the Rastafarian guy who’s pulling the chain. You don’t know what he’s doing. When I‘m with the girl [in the film], he’s there too, just observing. I wanted to have that sort of energy over me. It’s literally my demons haunting me.
You mentioned home there. Even after all these years, St. Vincent is still home for you?
Skiifall: Yeah, I was only able to go back after 14 years, so it was my first time two years ago. I hadn’t spoken to my dad in all that time. I didn’t even know if he was alive or dead. I was like, ‘I’m gonna book a hotel room for two weeks and, if things don’t work out, I’ll book a flight back.’ So, I’m in the city now and it feels like a fucking movie. Ironically, my dad’s brother was visiting from New York at the same time and we literally bumped into each other on the street as we turned a corner. He asked me, ‘Do you want to go see your dad?’ From there, I took a 40-minute drive to this village, and [my dad is] just laying down on the couch smoking. I looked at him and he just started laughing, like instant recognition. I’m his eldest son, so he really got a connection and he’s been able to see me three times in the last two years. It was so special for me to have him be a part of my film as well.
You described your dad lying down when you walked in, and there are multiple shots of you doing the same thing in the film. Are you guys similar?
Skiifall: We’re so similar it’s crazy. We look so much alike. The island has a very small population of around 400,000 people, but everyone knows him because he used to be a van driver – kind of like a taxi. He’s an incredible driver. It’s funny, because he’d be smoking and have his leg on the steering wheel, steering at this high speed, and he’d just be watching me smile. I felt like a kid again, you know? In my earlier music, I spoke about me and him being so disconnected, but on my next album I’m speaking about us. These are the people that I love to speak about – my mom, my grandma and my dad. I dedicate all my art to them, and feel like allowing myself to go home was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.
So, is this the end of rap Skiifall?
Skiifall: No, never. I want people to understand that I’m going to be making music in whichever way feels most natural to me, and it doesn’t have to be one genre. If I’m going to make music, I may as well study it properly so that I am able to deliver good, good music at all times. That’s also why it might take a little longer for me to give something that I am comfortable with sharing. Now, I feel like the bag is becoming heavy on my back so I’ve got to free it up a bit.
Skiifall’s latest EP, Lovers Til I’m Gone, is out now, and will be followed short film Mystery Man soon after.
