Sanchez Interview

Afiwi: Afiwi.com in the place with Jamaica’s original longtime veteran singer still keeping up to the time on the set of the music video called “and the music” with the man called Sanchez! Yeah Sanchez tell us how did you get started in the business?

Sanchez: Well actually I started in the church, you know as a little kid and while growing and passing and hearing so many sound systems an-ting in the neighborhood and knowing that I had my talent I used to visit them an…start singing one or two songs while still in the church wasn’t the right thing but you know, but that was just my thing. It was just in me, that’s just actually how I started.

Afiwi: mentioning the sound systems…we hear you actually got your start as a selector

Sanchez: yeah Rambo Mango! [Smiling nostalgically] Yeah and Crystal, used to select those sounds and you know?

Afiwi: ok, so before you were the man on the record you were actually pulling up the tune dem inna de dance?

Sanchez: of course! Wheel dem up an talk on the mike same time an it’s like an all rounda you know? But I had to get it out because it was in me…still in me.

Afiwi: so how did you make the transition now from selecting to singing?

Sanchez: well, that was easy because I’m a musician all over so it consisted of singing, playing music, and reading music, teaching music whatever and right now I am capable of doing anything like that right now. So I would say.

Afiwi: So Sanchez tell us a little bit about this project you are working on right now.

Sanchez: Well this project I am working on right now is…I’m working on an LP right now, Hans and Jerry; they are the producers for this album

Afiwi: they are the gentlemen behind Rush Promotions

Sanchez: Exactly! Rush Promotions. And right now we are doing our best to get the best out of it because its reggae music and I think it is the best music up on till this day. Because at the end of the day we express ourselves and you know try to keep the peace and try to get a word across so we just trying to keep the banner high.

Afiwi: yeah man, so from what I hear of the music so far its sounding nice you know, sounding really nice. So Sanchez I’ve read that you are a little bit into fashion design, do you design any of your own stage clothes?

Sanchez: [smiling proudly] Almost all of them, I would say approximately all of them.

Afiwi: so that would include, we were down at Sting in Jamaica you know the infamous Sting and we saw you in this [Sanchez laughs] we saw you in this outfit where you had half Jamaican flag and half American Flag, tell us a little about the outfit and the inspiration behind that

Sanchez: well you know? Seen that I am Jamaican born and I am living here now [The U.S.] I just thought it would be good…to split it like that half Jamaican half American just representing. That was definitely arranged and designed by Sanchez and his wife.

Afiwi: So talking about Sting…that was 6 years to your last show prior to Sting, How come it take you 6 years to get back to Jamaica?

Sanchez: Well reasons beyond mi control and you dun know you have set a foundation and a road, cause you can’t just go out there and keep repeating yourself. So it was just trying to gain grounds and set a foundation.

Afiwi: Where were you when it all broke out at Sting?

Sanchez: I was at my hotel, cause I left right after I worked.

Afiwi: I’m sure by now you’ve seen the video and you have heard all about the incident; do you think that was an isolated incident, or do you think that’s where the music is going right now in Jamaica?

Sanchez: I think that’s rubbish right now fi di music big time you know? Its not helping none of us it might be helping us, but helping us down into the gutter and the gully and we need to get out. So the man them just need to look into themselves right now and act accordingly.

Afiwi: So you been here in Miami since 1999 what inspired you to move here? Was it a career move, or what was the inspiration for you in coming over here?

Sanchez: Well both a career move and a family move cause I need the best for my family right now and again on the other side of it, it was all a family and career move.

Afiwi: Well we see that you have your family heavily involved in everything that you’re doing, your wife is your manager. We're down here at the set of the music video and we see that you know you definitely keep the family involved so nuff respect fi-dat! Which of your songs are songs that really have a lot of meaning to you…like your favorites of Sanchez songs?

Sanchez: Well I would say songs like…”Never Dis the Man” with the angle and “Praise Him”, because you know we often times see it that we’re living today and tomorrow we are not here and we all haffi give thanks that whenever time we part, we part good with the father and everything is a-ok.

Afiwi: Seen, and those two songs that you mention happen to be songs that you wrote [Sanchez “definitely!”] too you know? So nuff respect fi-dat too. So Sanchez tell me about the artists on the scene now, cause you is a man that been on the scene for a long time a veteran inna the business any of the artists that around now that you have any ratings for?

Sanchez: Of course! Artists like Beres Hammond and Freddy McGregor and Luciano

Afiwi: What about some of the new artists?

Sanchez: Of Course! Sizzla, Sean Paul has always been around but he is now recognized as a new artist, he is doing good for the music as well a lot of musicians out there that’s holding up the banner and I pray for them cause we need more people like them and we need father to bless dem that them can continue them work cause you have some likkle on the side that try to mess up the music but sometime you know the good that we do just cover that. So we always try to do good.

Afiwi: We notice that you are a man that always try to sing about the father in your music and even have cut some Gospel albums an tings-like-dat. So what kind of advice would you give to the upcoming artist, you know some of the future Sanchezes who just starting out in the church right now, about the business, the career and even just singing as a technique what kind of advice can you give to them?

Sanchez: Well, don’t try to be like me [smiling, then laughs] even though I always set a good example, but try to be like you try to set a foundation and a career for your own and just remember where you coming from and remember try to have a place in mind where you wanna reach. Cause if you don’t have a goal in mind is like its no use working.

Afiwi: Have a plan right?

Sanchez: yeah, you have to have a plan.

Afiwi: Right, so tell me bout Sanchez's plan fi-di future.

Sanchez: Well my plans fi-di future is just to keep the reggae music on the peak and up to the level where you know we know it supposed to be and I just praying that the people will continue praying for Sanchez cause without you there could never be a Sanchez. So I just pray that people will pray for me that I will get some strength to be able to spread the word more and to gain more knowledge as to where we are going and to what this thing is all about.

Afiwi: Sanchez I know the people out there praying for you man, cause when we saw you at Sting a you really take the show boss trust me out of the whole [confusion] you were the one highlight of the show so you know, you is a man long time inna the business and we know say you will be here for a even longer time so respect.

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