Montreal Rapper Skiifall Talks Reimagining Lovers Rock With Jorja Smith & Kenny Beats: ‘I Have to Make Sure That It’s Done Well’
From Theodoros Bafaloukos’ classic film Rockers (1978) to Steve McQueen’s more contemporary anthology entry Lovers Rock (2020), the luscious melodies and charming lyrics of lovers rock – a particularly romantic reggae subgenre – have been enrapturing and inspiring artists for decades. Montreal rapper Skiifall (pronounced “skyfall”) is the latest rising star to be bitten by the lovers rock bug, but he’s not wholly unfamiliar with the style.
Hailing from Barrouille in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Skiifall moved to Montreal, Canada, with his family as a child, and spent his high school years falling in love with Atlanta rap, moving away from the soca and reggae that soundtracked in his childhood. After a few years of toiling in local bands and honing his chops with partially government-funded studio time, he released his breakthrough debut single, “Ting Tun Up,” in 2020. The song garnered massive buzz in the U.K., leading to a remix with Knucks and increased eyeballs and ears on Skiifall. Though his sound morphed into something closer to hip-hop than soca, Skiifall’s sonic profile never completely abandoned his roots: think of the infectious dancehall pulses on “2 Charming” from his 2023 Woiiyoie Vol. 2 – Intense City EP.
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Montreal-based producer and DJ YAMA//SOTO is billed as a co-lead artist on “Ting Tun Up,” and that song kicked off a professional relationship that would soon bring both parties into brand new creative spaces. The idea of making a lovers rock project started with “Yama sharing this playlist with me in 2022,” says Skiifall. “From there, I went to Spotify and learned how to use the algorithm to find new music. Once I found one, I couldn’t stop there. It’s now a 12-hour playlist, filled with lovers rock.”
In his exploration of lovers rock, the music became more than the background noise he used to disregard it as. He and Yama worked on a few early cuts and “from that first session, we knew that we were going to make a whole project – but we didn’t know exactly what we were going to make,” Skiifall recalls. In less than two weeks, the pair had three songs they worked on with Kenny Beats, a genre-agnostic producer whose penchant for live instrumentation made it easy to wade into the world of lovers rock. Their sessions eventually culminated in Lovers Till I’m Gone: a breezy, earnest seven-song lovers rock set that explores stories of contemporary Vincy love and includes a guest appearance by Grammy-nominated U.K. R&B star Jorja Smith. The full set arrived on Jan. 10, with the Smith-assisted “Her World” garnering over one million Spotify streams in less than a month.
In a candid conversation with Billboard, Skiifall recounts how his producers helped him find the coverage to reimagine lovers rock for the 2020s.
When did your family move to Montreal?
My mom moved away before I did; she got me to come join her about two years after in 2009. I was around eight [years old] at that time.
I used to love this movie called Monster House, and the only way I would imagine overseas was through that lens as a kid. I thought that when I got to Canada it would be autumn all the time, but when I arrived, it was fully snowing – like snow to your knees-type s—t [laughs]. I remember being held by the flight attendants waiting for my mom to come pick me up. It felt like a movie, like a new start.
Did you grow up listening to a lot of Vincy music?
When I was small, yes. Soca music has always been a part of my life, reggae music as well. When I got older and went to high school, it was the first time [I had my own phone] and was able to download music. I automatically gravitated towards rap; I started listening to a lot more American music from that age: Rich Homie Quan, Young Thug, Migos, Travis Scott, K Camp, 2 Chainz, etc
It’s only in 2021 that I tapped back in with reggae. I didn’t like it so much because I felt like everywhere we went, it came on. Parties, barbecues, everywhere – that’s all you’re hearing. I wanted to hear some rap.
When did you start working as Skiifall?
Around 2018. But I really started making music as Shamar, at 12 [years old]. I was a vocalist in a band, and we did summer sessions together where we would write albums and perform in front of a bunch of people. We would [also] have studio sessions, which are offered to you while you’re in school. While I was in high school – from 12 to 18 – there were studios in Montreal that allowed you to record for free. You get free recording and free mixing and mastering, so I’ve been going there for a long time. Most of my early music that came out was made there.
I’m super open to exploring and seeing what I can pull from, whether it’s jazz or classical. I take bits and pieces and merge them all together. For [Lovers Till I’m Gone], it was important to try something like that. Me and Yama made a few good songs and then later showed them to Kenny. That spiraled into us like making “Mystery Man” in our first session in 2022. From there, we knew that we should definitely continue to build it. In our first three sessions, we made “Mystery Man,” “Sandy” and “No More.” I remember walking around L.A. at the time and blasting [“Mystery Man”].
I automatically knew what to do [in those sessions], but I wasn’t sure if I was gonna be able to do justice to some of my faves. Yama, Kenny, Venna and Nami [Ondas] really gave me that boost — whether it’s lyrics or the beat or just saying something that might inspire me. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to make [this project] by myself.
What was it like working with Kenny Beats and bringing him into the reggae world?
I think it just came naturally. If you’re a fan of music, you’re able to make whatever you wanna make. If the right parts are there, then the machine is gonna move. Kenny’s aura is the perfect vibe; he makes you feel at home. If you’re not inspired, he’s not gonna force it. He’s gonna let it be and try again the next day. I’m looking forward to making more music [with him] for sure.
Our managers are friends, so that’s how we met. He’s also a fan of my music as well. The first time we met was at his home in 2022 after he DMed me on Instagram. That’s the day we made “Mystery Man.”
How did you get Jorja Smith on “Her World?”
She’s been a fan of mine ever since I blew up, and I was always a fan of hers as well. Her name kept coming up during the process of figuring out who would be the best person to join forces with and build a great song. Luckily, at the time our managers were friends, so she was down to work on the song. She got the song, and she was pretty down, so I waited for her to send her verse back and the rest was history.
At first, I didn’t like “Her World” because I didn’t think it sat on the same level as “Mystery Man,” but Jorja brought it to that level. She gave it a different flow. She bodied that because I’d never heard anybody do lover’s rock like that; she just broke it down and built it back up.
What are your plans for the visual world of Lovers Till I’m Gone?
I have this film coming that’s supposed to be sort of like Rockers (1978). I worked on it super closely with my director Simon [Davis] and my dad; we went back to Saint Vincent to shoot. It’s about 17 minutes and is meant to showcase the country and the vibe going on there.
I remember speaking to Kenny about not wanting to [recreate] the ‘80s or what people looked like back then. We wanted to keep it [focused on] how it is currently – what people are going through right now and how they’re living and all that. It’s kind of like a documentary but with music.
What should we know about the Montreal music scene right now?
I think you should know nothing because… yeah.
Do you plan to stay in the lover’s rock space a bit longer?
This project was recorded a long time ago, so I already have all the stuff that I’ve been working on ready to go. I’m ready to be out on the road as well. If this lifetime grants me the time, I will definitely keep making reggae. I love rap, so reggae is gonna be occasional. But when it’s done, I have to make sure that it’s done well because I feel like it’s not been treated well in some ways. If I’m going to personally attack it, then I have to do right by it.
Who are your top three favorite lovers’ rock artists?
Billy Boyo, Dennis Brown and Johnny Osbourne. My favorites of all time are two very different people: Sister Nancy and Yellowman. Jah Cure is in there too.
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