Jamaican reggae star Romain Virgo has released his fourth studio album, The Gentle Man, and with it, the music video for his new single “Been There Before” featuring Dancehall juggernaut Masicka.
Directed by Sameel ‘SAMO’ Johnson, the music video shows Romain’s rise to fame and the struggles he endured to achieve his success to date. Masicka adds events from his trod to success which delivers the common theme that they are not too different from one another.
Giving fans more content to the album, Romain released an album visualizer, also directed by Sameel ‘SAMO’ Johnson. Watch the visualizer here:
The Gentle Man is Romain Virgo’s most candid body of work to date. The singer questions, deconstructs, and affirms his beliefs, sharing clear-eyed perspectives across a dozen tracks. He challenges what it means to be a man in Caribbean culture, explores the highs and lows of ‘Afromantic’ relationships, and, in the process, blends classic, foundational sounds with modern sonics.
“I kept some important questions in mind while working on this album. Who am I to my fans? To those close to me? To myself? People saw me go from this inexperienced youth with a gentle way of doing things to a man with the same morals, but new understanding. With this project, I present my full, authentic self. This is who I am,” said Romain Virgo.
With production credits from Donovan ‘Don Corleon’ Bennett, Oliver ‘Cadenza’ Rodigan, Phillip ‘Winta’ James, Romeich Major, Maurice ‘Seani B’ Delauney, Nicholas ‘Niko’ Browne, among others, The Gentle Man builds on Romain’s soul-stirring reggae palette, closing the gaps between roots reggae, lover’s rock, Afrobeats, and more.
He’s joined by dancehall phenom Masicka on the album opener, “Been There Before”; delivers a heartfelt tribute to single mothers with Nigerian reggae-fusionist Patoranking (“I Believe”); and closes out the album with hard-hitting features from the multi-generational Jamaican talents Jesse Royal (“Bridges”) and Capleton (“You Must Pay”).
Romain Virgo has dropped four singles in the lead-up to the album: “Good Woman,” “Driver,” “Switch You On,” and, most recently, “Been There Before.” The album was released on March 1.