24 year old, Alecia Grey, popularly know as Lila Ike is part of a new wave of female Jamaican reggae artists taking over the genre. The young artist made her debut in April 2017 with ‘Biggest Fan’ a song she wrote and was produced by The DrumKeys and Diggy British.
Following that success, she went on to release ‘Gotti Gotti, and ‘Second Chance’ which has an old-school reggae vibe. Lila has gone on record describing herself as an ‘old soul’ and this is reflected in her music. She went on to describe how she takes emotional experiences and then creates a ball of music. Her music is inspired by various artists she looks up to namely, Garnett Silk, Sizzla Kalonji, Buju Banton, Lauren Hill and Aretha Franklin.
Alecia’s talents know no bounds as she has proven herself in songwriting and in the versatility in her vocal abilities. The young artist is blessed with vocals that are easy on the ear and she has the capability to break into a heartfelt freestyle or rap.
Lila credits Protoje, whom she was acquainted with in 2017, as an influence in her growth.
“Protoje has opened me up to a different side of the world on an international scale. Maybe I wouldn’t kick-off so quickly without his assistance, I’m definitely grateful to him for that. Social media has helped too..”
Lila has not enjoyed the same successes as rising 19 year old sensation Koffee, but taking nothing away from her music, her style is Koffee-esque. The artists have made their imprint on the genre and their take on the genre is refreshing. Their music is trending in Jamaica and the international audience with Koffee featuring heavily on the Billboard charts.
Lila Ike is here to stay and she continues to make recognisably good music, including her feature on Protoge’s ‘Not Another Word’ alongside Agent Sasko. Her other jam she wrote, ‘Where I’m Coming From’ is gaining traction and is sure to do the rounds for an international audience.
Remember the name, and lets see how far the young artist will go.
