Alandon holding down the dancehall fort in Connecticut

Connecticut has the fifth-largest Jamaican population within the US, and dancehall recording artiste Alandon says he is working hard to keep them entertained while targeting the Jamaicans back home.

Alandon, whose given name is Alan Lynfatt, has been residing in the US state for more than 10 years, but the love of dancehall music and his culture have not subsided.

"I have seen where, Jamaicans support each other, whether directly or indirectly, by continuing to push reggae and dancehall on a global scale; and the dancehall scene in Connecticut adds to that, being at the high-energy level that it is," said Alandon, explaining part of the reason he remained interested in the music.

Hailing from Waterhouse, Alandon has caught the ears of dancehall fans in Connecticut and was crowned Hartford's 'New Artiste of the Year' by the state's number one station Hot 93.7 when he emerged three years ago.

He has toured with reggae singing star Tarrus Riley and is known for the singles Movie, Ganja Party and 1980.

Now, Alandon is hoping to capture the attention of the local dancehall scene with his latest single, Emoji.

Carrying a summertime vibe, the artiste says he thought it clever to use something everyone could attest to.

He said, "I am a fun, energetic person, so I guess that might be the reason Emoji sounds the way it does; you're getting 100 per cent of me."

The track, produced by Track Starr Music (producer of Kemar Highcon's So Saucy and Hood Celebrityy's Walking Trophy), was released at the end of 2018, but the music video's recent release has breathed new life into the song.

"The music video plays on the catchiness of the song, speaking to the millennials that are used to using this form of communication. It was inspired by watching persons around me communicate with the use of pure emojis," he said.