Jamaican-American singer Shaggy recently unveiled that the voice that he has used throughout his career was an act that he had to prolong and, during an interview, revealed where he developed his distinct tone.
Shaggy’s voice is easily recognisable in the music industry. It suits specific beats and has helped him form a character within the industry. However, after watching a recent clip on TikTok, fans were shocked to learn that it was actually just an act.
The 55-year-old vocalist admitted that his hoarse, excessively Jamaican tone was developed during his time in the Marines, unveiling, “I got this voice by mocking drill instructors in the military.”
He detailed, “In the Marines, the drill instructors would go, ‘Yeah boy, drop and give me 20. Let’s go.’ And I would mock him as a form of joking because it motivated, you know, your platoon.”
He admitted that his 1993 hit track ‘Oh Carolina’ was responsible for that style as he used it on that song for the first time as an experiment. However, following its success, he was beholden to it.
The vocalist (real name Orville Burrell) expressed that he only used it because “it sounded cool,” but explained, “‘Oh Carolina’ blew up, and now I’m faced with the situation that I’m gonna have to sing every song like that.”
Many users commented jokingly about the clip. One user wrote, So we all just hearing Shaggy real voice for the first time?” Another commented, “Not Shaggy gas lighting us all these years,” while another person added, “HOLD UP!!! Shaggy DOESN’T HAVE AN ACCENT.”
