Artiste Junior Don does his
thing on stage.

Some people live and breathe music. Etthan Stewart is one of those people. Known in the music world as Junior Don, this 29-year-old is an emerging star who is more than ready to spread his wings and soar. Stewart’s foray in the music arena began more than a decade ago and, since then, he has been steadily climbing the music ladder, having performed in countries such as Germany, Sweden, Egypt, Turkey and England.

In fact, few can boast of his accomplishments, which include performing at the same shows as Hip Hop heavyweights TI, Rough Ryders, Redman and Fat Joe, as well as Jamaican artistes Jah Mason and Bushman. The former R&B songwriter for Germany’s MCY Music Publishing has music running through his veins, his mother being part of the British double award-winning Grammy group, Soul II Soul, in the late 80s.

Time in the spotlight
After years of paying his dues and humbly being in the background, the Petit Valley resident, who composes his own songs, is now enjoying his time in the spotlight as the front-line singer for Orchestra Beyond, formerly known as Peter C Lewis and the Orchestra Band. Also holding down a regular nine to five, Stewart always makes time for his first love. “I’m always either in the studio or in the band room. It’s challenging but I love what I’m doing, so I’m willing to put in the work,” he says. “I would love to go back into my music full-time one day, though.”

Always on the grind, Stewart recently dropped his first single for 2009—a dancehall soca, titled Ga Ding Ding. Produced by Shaq De Bourg, the track has been receiving “a lot of love” and Stewart believes it has the potential to propel him to the next level. And what dancehall track is complete without an accompanying dance? Well, no need to worry, he has that covered too. “The dance has the same name as the song. The video will be out soon,” he reveals, smiling. Wasting no time, the ambitious artiste is already working on his other offering, Oh My Land, scheduled for release in September.

Colour-blind

While Stewart is proud of his diverse culture, he vividly remembers the days when his appearance made some underestimate his talent as an artiste—that is, until he opened his mouth. “My dad is white and my mom is black, so I went through the colour issues. Some people thought I couldn’t sing reggae or dancehall because of how I looked.” He adds, “When I was younger and used to sing in The Base Nightclub, people used to shout, ‘white boy, get off the stage!’ I sometimes ask myself, ‘are they going to accept me?’ Then I say ‘whatever, I can just do me.’”

Always one to turn a negative situation into a positive one, the former Joe Public midfielder has come up with his own definition to describe his ethnicity—Afrocasianeese. “It represents my mixture of African, Caucasian and Chinese. I have already made up my mind to name my first album Afrocasianeese.” As Stewart continues to make inroads in his career to take his music to the next level, he feels the sky is indeed the limit.


•Want to know more about Junior Don? Check him out at:
•www.myspace.com/juniordonmusicm