After winning performer of the year (dancehall) at last year’s Caribbean Music Awards, Jamaican reggae sensation Dexta Daps is set on securing the next Valentine’s Day anthem with his new “Lockdown” single.
Over waltz-evoking guitars, Dexta forgoes the fete to spend some intimate one-on-one time with his special lady singing, “I’ve been staying home lately because outside has been too much for me/ Spending quality time with my baby/ I could be somewhere out there in the club, but I’m here with you making love/ There is beauty inside when two lovers lockdown.” Though it’s nearly impossible for the phrase “lockdown” not to invoke memories of the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dexta’s smoldering vocal delivery — which blends the intricate rhyme schemes of dancehall with sultry R&B riffs and instrumentation — prevents that era from completely cannibalizing the song.
“Lockdown” — which hit DSPs on Friday (Feb. 14) — is Dexta’s second release of the year. Last month (Jan. 10), he released “X-Gal,” a Dretegs-produced track whose official video has amassed over two million views in just one month. Since the release of “X-Gal,” Dexta has dedicated his official Instagram feed to teasing behind-the-scenes footage of the “Lockdown” music video. “[One] ting, if you work with Dexta Daps, you gonna laugh,” he quipped in one caption. “Well, except the [camera] man!”
Known for hits such as “Shabba Madda Pot” and “Breaking News,” Dexa Daps earned his first entry on Top Reggae Albums with 2020’s Vent (No. 10). Three years later, he notched his first entry on the U.S. Afrobeats Song Chart with “Bop” (No. 22), a Davido collaboration from the Nigerian star’s 2023 Timeless LP.
Listen to “Lockdown” below:
