Cookie the Herbalist to release EP

Swedish reggae artiste Cookie the Herbalist loves Jamaica. He tries to come to Jamaica at least once a year to recharge his

batteries and promote his reggae material.

"I love the island - just coming here to visit people I know, Prezident Brown, Jah Mason, rocking with Lee Perry in Negril, plugging into the new young rastafarian movement with artistes like Kyeenie, and Exile Di Brave. It's been great," he said.

While here, he shot two videos for singles, Let My People Go featuring Torch, and Shining Star, both of which are tracks on his new EP, Cookie Box, which will be released in Europe in March.

"Shining Star is an uplifting song for youths, so the video centres around showing the youths the importance of morality and doing the right thing," he said.

Cookie the Herbalist is a major name on the club show circuit in Europe, and he plays a lot of gigs to niche audiences in ski resorts and tourist skateboard parks all across Europe. He performed at the Uprising Festival in Europe last year as well.

BIG BUZZ

He got a huge buzz last year with Promises, produced by Weedy G Soundforce, and released by VP Records. Promises got a great deal of attention in the international reggae scene and was even premiered on Swiss National Radio SRF3's Reggae Special.

He also got props for the cultural song Cool & Peaceful Vibes, recorded for the French label Head Creator, while Never Stop hit the reggae iTunes chart in Switzerland at No. 2. He is banking on Cookie Box making a big impact in Europe this year.

"This EP is a compilation with the best songs I recorded during the past two to three years, plus a few titles my fans have never heard before," he said.