Shaggy
Glenda Anderson, Staff Reporter
HE SENDS a cool voice in your ear, mellow, not rushed, so warm, the hot breath seems minutes away from your temple.
Mr. Lover Lover, Shaggy, is in the mood for love, ... love talk that is, on what makes a good lover, and keeps a relationship sizzling.
At work in his studio in Miami, Florida, last Friday, 'Shaggy' paused to talk with Outlook about nurturing a relationship.
"I think the first thing you start with is respect. In a relationship it is a 'give and take' thing so you have to respect her and she does the same for you. Remember too that everybody is created differently, so what works for you or habits that may be comfortable for you, may not be so for her and you need to be able to deal with that. It's almost as if you are in a partnership.
"Compliments are a great way to go too. I have never been in a situation where that has never worked for me," he says with a quick laugh.
"It may not even be on her physical, it could be personal, it could be her achievements, anything at all but you must be sincere. Compliments are always a winner."
He doesn't want to talk about his own love interest, or romantic history.
"No, I don't wanna do that," he protests vigorously, in between a mysterious chuckle that kinda fades away to a low growl, "no, I don't want to go personal."
But the mystery just heightens the interest, for there have been rumours and suggestions.
Valentine's Day, for example, will be a low-keyed affair, he says. He'll have the company of his two young sons this week though, he adds proudly.
Romance and intimacy are almost sacred to the 35-year-old entertainer. With a hectic routine the norm for the pop/reggae/love singer, less is more.
"My life is a fanfare, going out is a fanfare, I'm performing all the time so the quiet times are the times most cherished, the times I really value.
"An exquisite weekend or romantic getaway for me, for example, would be somewhere like Birdsucker cabin at Strawberry Hill, (Jamaica) I'd create a nice (romantic) dinner atmosphere, and just spend time enjoying my partner's company. It's the person and the mood, for me really, because it could be anywhere, up in the mountains or on a nice beach somewhere."
Gift giving is another affair, though personally Shaggy believes in 'pulling out all the stops' for any woman in his life.
"The perfect gift? Diamonds!" he says incredulously (as if no other gift would do) definitely diamonds.
Money?
Creative
"If you've got it (the means) why not, if not you've got to get creative. It doesn't even have to be elaborate, a simple thing like going out and getting a photo done, have it nicely framed, with a nice message to me, that's a good idea."
Still, although Shaggy's music themes have swung between the image of rough and tumble lover and smooth 'playa' on the prowl, he takes the issue of love and loving seriously and feels the form it takes depends on the man and his woman.
"I think the rough/tough image or approach is an outside kinda vibe though. Behind closed doors Jamaican men are really kinda slower, smoother, much more romantic than most persons realise. It may be that the way persons expect a man to show his romantic side, he may do things differently. Take Bob Marley's music, for example, some of the greatest love songs ever were done by Bob, 'I Wanna Love yah', 'Stir it Up', those are big, big love songs, some people don't realise and that's how it is with men sometimes.
Playa image
"When it comes to the playa image, I don't think the Jamaican man portrays it as much as the black American. Jamaican men are pretty much into admiration, they'll tell you things outright; how you look, how you dress, and they expect a response. Jamaican men are the cockiest in the world. Fi dem things neva fail them yet, even when a nuh suh so it go, in their opinion dem a de best."
Still, he says honouring a woman as a person is key to nurturing romance, and enduring friendships.
"I'm still friends with all my exes," he confides smugly.
A hint, perhaps?
