When you hear the first few lines from his celebrated single “Come Around” you start wondering: which Jamaican is that? How come I never heard him before? He is a convincing reggae artiste, both in content and sound, so when the speakers are blaring and you hear, “Finally the herbs come around, the high grade weh mi a look fa mi get it by the pound” you immediately think, ‘I like this song.’

But he’s not Jamaican. Neither was he born in the Caribbean. Nope, Collie Buddz (Collin Harper) was born in New Orleans, moved the Toronto and then to Bermuda where he grew up and essentially, the place he loves to call home. But that’s not only it, he’s … well … “white” (although he may have some creole mix). But his voice, which authentically beats the reggae rhythm, would make you think he is anything but white.

Collie Buddz can be easily compared to Sean Paul in his appearance, his voice is also similar and his appeal I’m sure will undoubtedly cross over. “Come Around” is definitely a hit weed anthem and is already popular with the men and the women too, but his ode to his “Mamacita” is a sexy single that is bound to have women’s hips shaking. Already the artiste has aligned himself with stars like Beyonce and Busta Rhymes in his “The Alarm Remix” and “Come Around Remix” respectively securing his space in the very elusive mainstream.

Collie says that his major influences are arch rivals Bounty Killer and Beenie Man and also ace deejay Buju Banton. With these influences, the aspiring deejay found a sound that was unique and had appeal, fusing a bit of hip-hop and R&B but with the predominant foundation of Reggae.

As a youth growing up in Bermuda, Reggae music was always around, especially with his exposure to the sound systems there. He paid special attention to the lyrical clashes of artistes like Beenie Man and Bounty Killer which were to have a phenomenal impact on his own musical destiny. Of course, using his schoolmates as a sounding board for his lyrical prowess paid off, as soon sound systems started hearing him and wanted to have him on their dubs.

But Collie didn’t rely solely on his lyrics to secure his future. A sound education meant something to him as well. So he pursued a degree in audio engineering in Florida, allowing him to create rhythms, and ride them. The versatile deejay sees endless possibilities and his eclectic sound allows him to create and recreate his lyrics and sound fusing everything from R&B to soca and of course with reggae as the mainstay.

But while Collie loves his dancehall music, he certainly is not starved of the old school culture tunes from greats like Alton Ellis, Jacob Miller, the skattalites and a host of others. These are the men the whose influence gives Collie the edge over many aspiring dancehall artistes and even over some of the already established ones.

Signing with the prestigious Sony BMG in 2006 Collie Buddz musical aspirations were definitely being realized. His first album will be released in late May 2007.