Aidonia Live In Boston For The First Time
Six years after the United States visas of several dancehall artistes were revoked, including that of Aidonia, the 'Boring Gal' entertainer is now counting his blessings after being issued a work permit yesterday.
Raymond 'Shadow' Small, Aidonia's publicist, said not being able to travel to the United States had a significant impact on Aidonia's earning potential in the past few years. "Of course, it affected his earning. As you know, US is a major market especially as it relates to reggae and dancehall, but, thankfully, because he has some solid hits under his belt, those hits were able to transcend into other markets and he was able to sustain himself through those songs," Small told THE STAR yesterday. Aidonia, as well as fellow Jamaican entertainers Sizzla, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, and Mavado were stripped of their US visas in 2010. The United States Embassy did not state the reason for the cancellation of the visas.
Revocation
Mavado was subsequently re-issued with a US visa. Small yesterday also said that the embassy did not give a definite reason for the revocation of Aidonia's work permit six years ago. Aidonia, meanwhile, said that being reissued with a visa is a bittersweet moment for him. "It's a great feeling and a blessing! Words can't even explain how mi feel. It's been a sombre time for the team since the death of Doukie, but this just come like a blessing right now," he told THE STAR. Aidonia's friend and member of promotional team, Lamar Doukie, recently died in a motor vehicle crash. He was buried on Sunday. But with some of his biggest songs being released in the last two years, including Boring Gal and Jockey, the artiste says he is now ready to extend his reach to the US market.
"USA never really get fi see me fi promote all those songs, but right now, I can't wait to get out there and see the people. I just want to be able to promote my music and perform for my fans," he said. Though he has no set date in mind to travel to the US, Aidonia said fans in that country could see him as early as month end. "I'm leaving for Belize today for a week, and then we'll be working to set up some promotional tours for the fans," Aidonia said.
Performances
Aidonia will be at Amazura Night Club in Queens, New York City on July 23, 2016 then Boston on August 20, 2016. These events will see the deejay doing his first concert on the North American continent in more than six years.
He recently returned to the island after a two-week promotional blitz along the US East Coast with stops in New Jersey and the New York Tri-State Area. “Firstly, I have to give thanks to the respective authorities for the reissuance of my visa … with this in place, we are now able to tap into new markets and connect to wider audiences, because as entertainers we know how important it is to stay connected to the fans not just through social media but also having a physical presence in those spaces, hence this current campaign… and it’s a known fact that the US is one of the biggest consumers of our genre of music,” he said. “Come July 23, we are going to treat the fans inside Amazura Night Club to a musical feast because they have been waiting patiently for this day and it has finally arrived,” he continued. Meanwhile, Aidonia has been working assiduously in the studios and continues to ride high with the singles No Man To Mi Spliff, Hey Yo, and Rude Bwoy Ting.
