It’s June 2026, and I’m on a plane to Toronto for North by Northeast (NXNE). While at the legendary conference/festival, the plan was to network with lots of new faces and catch a ton of artists on the rise. Day two of NXNE began with me stopping by the artist house, where I met Richard Dawkins of Diet Monkey Entertainment. Richard mentioned that he was at NXNE to represent Skystar, a Reggae/Dancehall artist from Edmonton, and invited me to his set that same night at The Painted Lady on Ossington. I couldn’t say no, and I’m glad I didn’t. A stellar performance all around and post-show, I got to connect with Skystar for the first time.
However, this interaction wasn’t the first time I saw Skystar’s name. Back in February, the Victoria Ska & Reggae Festival 2026 lineup released, and Skystar was announced for a set at Encore Nightclub. It was perfect timing knowing I could work with him prior to his Victoria debut.
So fast forward to the end of June 2026. The Victoria Ska & Reggae festival was already going strong and the JUNO nominated artist performed to a packed Encore, where the vibes were just right. We knew this would make for a great discussion between us, so the day after his performance, I got to reconnect with Skystar and we decided to get an interview in. So, without any further delay, here is that interview.
Welcome to Victoria! You performed last night at Encore Nightclub. How have you been enjoying your time here on the island?
It was great, great, great, great. Victoria is a vibe in itself, man. It’s like a different vibe, you know? Just like anywhere else still, like when you go to different places, you get a different vibe. But last night, it was phenomenal. The crowd was very accepting, welcoming, beautiful.
2026 has been an impressive year for you so far. Your newest EP, Mud Town, released last May, you performed at North by Northeast in Toronto, and you have a handful of other Canadian performances still to come. Is 2026 shaping up the way you have hoped for?
That is good. That’s the first thing I can say. You know what I mean? And it’s shaping up the right way, ’cause we put in the work since last year. And all the work that we put in last year is now manifesting in 2026. So, it was expected, and we’re still doing work. We still have a lot more to do, so journey continues beyond 2026.
As mentioned, your latest EP came out this past May but before that, it had been 2 years since you released an EP, in the form of Sky’s The Limit. Was there any change in the creation process going from that last EP to your newest? Maybe things you learned that you wanted to utilize in the creation of Mud Town?
To be honest, most of the songs that are on Mud Town were meant for Sky’s The Limit. I’m gonna tell you something funny about this EP, Mud Town. Most of these songs on Mud Town EP are songs that I wrote when I was a teenager, probably like 15, 16.
Is that right?
Yes, it’s true. I swear to God on my life. They are like old songs that I had. Some of them, like probably two or three of them were written for Sky’s The Limit and they didn’t make the EP. They never made Sky’s The Limit. We thought about those songs, and were like okay, we’re gonna put them aside. But then music is a time thing, you know? Music has no age at all. So, I don’t know, it’s not recycled music. But those songs were already there. You know what I’m saying? So they end up transitioning into Mud Town EP.
Was there anything specific about those songs not fitting the Sky’s The Limit EP and moving them to the Mud Town EP, or was it just timing, as you said, it needed to be the right time to release these?
It was the timing of the music. Because of the direction that Sky’s The Limit went, we started to listen back to those songs and we realize that, holy crap, these songs can definitely follow up the storyline, the vibe, the feel and what the fans are accepting from Skystar at the moment, you know? Remember that the Sky’s The Limit EP did so well. Why would we change the formula for the next one? We continued to build on the formula and it’s working, ’cause we see where this EP had charted on iTunes internationally and in Canada. For the first 24 hours, the Mud Town EP debuted at number 10 and peaked at number two in the first 72 hours. So that means we’re doing something right, and it’s moving.
Mud Town features 6 songs, one of which is Wheel & Come Again. Now, prior to the EP release, you dropped a remix of this song which featured Caleb Hart & Kirk Diamond. How did this remix come about, and what can you tell me about these two artists?
Naturally, you know? Naturally Wheel and Come Again remix happened. It wasn’t a planned thing. Kirk Diamond is a good friend of mine and a brother. Kirk Diamond is also one of my inspirations when it comes to reggae music internationally.
For Caleb Hart, I met with Caleb through Arlo Maverick. Then we met personally, and I realized that, yo, this guy reminds me so much of me. You know what I mean? And then he has a… He’s Caleb Hart, pun intended. He has a good heart. So, we just started rapping together, and I realized that, yo, I wanna do something that I don’t really see Canadian artists doing. Let’s do a remix for Wheel and Come Again, because the song was fresh. It was hitting every chart. It’s the number one reggae song in Canada and all the reggae charts. So, it was only matching and fair to say, yo, let’s enhance this, but by showcasing other Canadian artists in the field too. You know what I mean?
Caleb Hart came to Edmonton for my Intimacy concert, and he did well. The people love him. So, it’s something that was expected from us, but it was unexpected for the majority, the mass, you know, the fans but they accepted it.
And this remix, it’s been playing everywhere, man. Like, CBC Radio, I mean every radio station I can think of in Canada has this song playing, and internationally too. Yeah, man.
Now, you talked about Kirk Diamond being inspirational for you. So moving into this next question, I wanted to know who’s on your Reggae Mount Rushmore? Which artists are inspirational to you and are must listens?
When it comes to reggae music, my go-to listen for female artists is Queen Ifrica. I love Queen Ifrica music. And when it comes to male reggae artists, to be honest with you, Buju Banton. You know, I love Buju Banton’s sound in reggae. I’m not such much of a fan of his dancehall songs, but his reggae songs, I love them. You know? And me, SkyStar hahaha.
Haha, have to put you among the greats!
Haha yes, I have to put myself among the greats. But there’s many artists.
When it comes to Dancehall, it’s Alkaline and Assassin AKA Agent Sasco, for sure. You know? And there are others too, but Masicka, Alkaline, Agent Sasco. That’s it for now.
Let’s play Yay or Nay, Edmonton Edition. I’m going to say something based in Edmonton, and you tell me if you give it a yay or a nay.
First up: Edmonton Oilers
Yay, yay!
Are you a big hockey fan?
No, not really. I don’t understand it. ‘Cause I’m a Jamaican, I don’t understand it, but I know what it is. I watch it sometimes. But as I said, I don’t understand it, so. But I’m from Edmonton, and it’s Edmonton Oilers. What you mean? Of course. Edmonton Oilers, right true. Yeah, man, Crosby. Very good.
Next: Whyte Ave
Yay, yay! That’s my place, man. That’s home. Let me tell you something about Whyte Ave. Whyte Ave is a place where it gave Skystar a lot of practice when it comes to performances, as we go there into the clubs and stuff, you know, and we build from there.
You have a favorite club on Whyte Ave, like a favorite place that you like to go?
Not really, I like all of them.
Up Next: Snow
Nah. Nay, nay! Hahaha no snow, I like Victoria.
You like the island vibes? Sunny, warm and no white on the ground?
Yeah, the island vibes.
That’s what’s up. All right, and then our final one: Intimacy.
Intimacy concert! Yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay, yay! Yeah, man, Intimacy concert, right true. Every year sold out. Right true.
How long have you been doing Intimacy for?
Three years now. I’ve been putting on a lot of talents across Canada at Intimacy concert, and it’s been sold out every time. It’s still growing and can get bigger. It’s very dear to me, very sentimental to me, because it’s my own concert that I curated. You understand? So, it means a lot to me. I put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in it. And the community in Edmonton, they really come and support. You have people all over the province come there to support. People out of province fly in, drive in to come support, you know? And the community, as I said, is behind it too, so it’s a good.
Going back to Sky’s The Limit, you were nominated for Reggae Recording of the Year at the 2025 JUNO Awards. How did it feel to get recognized for this project and how has it helped fuel you to continue making great music?
It shows that there’s a promise when it comes to the music. There’s higher heights, there’s higher levels in the music, as opposed to just doing it in just your community alone. It shows that there’s a broader audience, there’s a broader world and there’s things to achieve by doing it the right way, you know what I mean?
It really helps when you have a team behind you, which means a lot to me, because now it really reveals the hard work that I’m doing. The work that I put in, how many long days and sleepless nights. My team is pushing to make it happen and it shows that good music shall live and can get you places. You know what I mean? Yeah.
So, is that one of the next goals? Hopefully this next EP gets you back in the running for another award?
Yes, it’s one of the goals, but it’s not the limit. We wanna see the billboards too. We wanna see the Grammys too. We wanna see all of that, not just the JUNOs. Because JUNOs are good to have, of course. Very important. But we wanna show the Junos that we can ascend to the next level too. ‘Cause the JUNOs have people and artists ascend to higher heights through the Juno. So we wanna show the JUNOs what we are capable of doing too.
You had a killer performance last night at Encore Nightclub for the Victoria Ska & Reggae Festival. Now for those who might’ve not seen you live last night, what should one expect from a Skystar performance?
Energy, vibes, and love. Intimacy. When you see SkyStar on a stage, it’s always an intimate settings. I’m one with my crowd, and my crowd is one with me, with the fans, you know? So when you wanna come see Skystar, just know in your mind that you’re gonna have a high energy performance, smooth vibes, and authentic music. You know what I mean? That’s it.
Why should the people care about Skystar?
‘Cause I love the people. I love the people and I care about the people, so it’s only fair to reciprocate, you know?
Any final items you’d like to promote before we wrap up this interview?
Yeah, man, Intimacy concert 2027. It’s gonna be IT. You know what I mean? So, Edmonton, Victoria, get ready.
Any sneak peeks you want to give us now? Anything to look forward to?
Just know that Caleb Hart is back in popular demand.
Skystar’s latest EP, Mud Town is available now on all streaming services. Make sure to catch Skystar live, whether that’s when he comes to your town or you’re in Edmonton during his Intimacy concert. I’d like to thank Skystar for taking the time to chat with me, Richard Dawkins for connecting us at NXNE, and Katie Brynjolfson for photographing the interview.