The Style & Vibes Podcast

Mikelah Rose | Style & Vibes
  • 4.9 (27)
  • Music Commentary
  • Updated Biweekly

The Style & Vibes podcast is where Caribbean style and culture collide. Hosted by Mikelah, founder of Style & Vibes, you’ll get to know from Caribbean tastemakers and celebrities across the globe in dancehall, reggae, soca and more!

  1. Jul 20 ·  Bonus

    Jemere Morgan On Legacy, Love, And A New Sound With Damian Marley

    Chat to me! Reggae singer Jemere Morgan, joins us to unpack “No Better,” his latest single produced by Damian Marley, and the bigger meaning behind two legacy music families coming together on this riddim project. We talk about how that legacy shapes expectations, why this music feels like a more mature chapter, and how Damien’s production pulls out an R&B-leaning edge while keeping roots reggae at the center. Support the show Style & Vibes: Website |  Newsletter | Youtube  |  Instagram |  Facebook Produced by Breadfruit Media

    Jemere Morgan On Legacy, Love, And A New Sound With Damian Marley

  2. Jul 6

    Reggae Singer Alaine Shares Love Again

    Chat to me! She walked away from JP Morgan, a stable paycheck, and the “safe” life to bet on reggae music and built a strong catalog of reggae love songs that continue to find new fans across the globe. We’re joined by singer-songwriter Alaine, and we get into what longevity really looks like when your career is powered by faith, craft, and a refusal to fake it for clout. We go behind the scenes of her single “Love Again” on the No Better Riddim, produced by Damian “Jr Gong” Marley. Alaine shares the moment she got the WhatsApp invite to be on the riddim and the sting of hearing her first song she wrote wasn’t working. Hearing how she regrouped, found inspiration, and rewrote the song into the version that landed is a valuable lesson in taking feedback to improve. We also touch on sharing the juggling with Jemere Morgan and Pressure, plus a fun and honest turn into relationship green flags, red flags, respect, and the kind of self-forgiveness it takes to be ready to love again. We talk about evolving over 20 plus years in the reggae industry, meeting the best and worst kinds of people, and learning how to protect your voice while still staying open. Alaine breaks down why intention matters more than virality, how she chooses projects, and what authenticity means when the internet is always asking artists to perform a persona.  Support the show Style & Vibes: Website |  Newsletter | Youtube  |  Instagram |  Facebook Produced by Breadfruit Media

    Reggae Singer Alaine Shares Love Again

  3. Aug 3

    Reggae History Changes When You Ask Where The Women Are

    Chat to me! Reggae is one of Jamaica’s greatest cultural exports, but the way we tell its story often leaves women blurred out or pushed into the margins. In this Breadfruit Media crossover episode with Strictly Facts I speak with Alexandria to unpack her dissertation on women in reggae and the questions that drove seven years of research: why are women so often reduced to footnotes, and what does that erase from our understanding of Jamaican music history? We get specific about power in the reggae industry and what “gendered labour” looks like in real life: who controls rhythms, who collects wealth, and how intimidation around songwriting credit and royalties can shrink a career over time. We also name the hard parts that rarely make it into glossy retrospectives, including sexual harassment, the unequal burden of childcare when industry partnerships become families, and the legal realities of copyright in Jamaica. Along the way, we spotlight the difference between quick recognition and lasting impact, from Sister Nancy’s rare royalties breakthrough to what a moment like Koffee’s Grammy win can and cannot do for women across the genre. Then we shift into the craft of documenting a history that wasn’t properly filed. Alexandria talks archival research in Kingston, what’s missing from institutional folders, and why oral history interviews with living artists matter. We also explore how women mentor each other across generations, how respectability politics and Rastafari-adjacent norms shape performance and perception, and why today’s wave of women in reggae is best understood through the foundation built by those who came before. If you care about reggae, women in music, or the business of cultural recognition, press play, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with the name of a woman in reggae you think deserves deeper documentation. Support the show Style & Vibes: Website |  Newsletter | Youtube  |  Instagram |  Facebook Produced by Breadfruit Media

  4. Jun 2

    How Keznamdi’s Blxxd And Fyah Tour Lit Up SOB’s

    Chat to me! A great live show doesn’t just sound good, it rewires how you hear the album afterward. We're back with a reggae concert recap, where Keznamdi brought his Blxxd And Fyah tour to SOB’s New York City and turned a standing-room venue into a shared choir of lyrics, riddim and message. After his 2026 Grammy win for Best Reggae Album, watching him lead his own band and hold the room with ease feels like growth and greatness in one.  We talk through the night like a real-time concert review: arriving solo, catching the set right as he hits the stage, and hearing how songs from Skyline Volume 1 and Bloodline land next to the newer Blxxd & Fyah material. The intimacy of SOB’s matters here, because you can see the details and feel the engineering work that keeps his voice clear and the band tight. When the crowd sings back every word, the call-and-response becomes part of the arrangement, especially on heavier tracks like Colonial Bondage and River Of Jordan, plus a powerful Forever Grateful performance moment.  We also get into what separates a good set from a memorable one: not rushing between songs, adding personal storytelling, controlling the energy from high to slow to high again, and delivering a Blxxd & Fyah freestyle flip that feels made for NYC. And when special guests like Runkus, Marlon Asher, and Hector Roots Lewis step onstage, it turns into the best kind of artist discovery. Festival season is here, and with AI rising, we make the case for seeing your favourite reggae artists live while you can.  Subscribe for more reggae interviews and show reviews, share this with a friend who loves live music, and leave a rating or review. What concert should we cover next? Support the show Style & Vibes: Website |  Newsletter | Youtube  |  Instagram |  Facebook Produced by Breadfruit Media

    How Keznamdi’s Blxxd And Fyah Tour Lit Up SOB’s

  5. Mar 9

    Women Who Built Reggae And Dancehall

    Chat to me! We celebrate the women who set the foundation and keep reggae and dancehall going. Spanning across decades, organized by a living list by impact rather than era. From trailblazers to dominators, we trace sound, image, and industry shifts while calling for continued support. In this episode we discuss: • Why impact-based categories reveal truer influence • Highlight trailblazers who normalized women at center stage • Discuss how groundbreakers shaped by video and production advances • crossovers, samples, and global bridges • How culture contributors across music, dance helped build brand Jamaica • Dig into how fusionists blend pop, R&B, hip-hop, EDM • The new wave of artist pushing the boundaries in branding and marketing in a streaming-first world • How hit songstresses whose singles still rule • How dominators sustaining scale, charts, and carry the culture • Why collective shine beats the “only one” myth Check out full list on Style & Vibes  Support the show Style & Vibes: Website |  Newsletter | Youtube  |  Instagram |  Facebook Produced by Breadfruit Media

    Women Who Built Reggae And Dancehall

  6. Feb 2

    Dre Island, Piano Prodigy To Reggae Messenger, Talks Timeless Music

    Chat to me! Producer-turned-artist, Dre Island channels real life experiences and prayer to create music that resonates for today and tomorrow. We discuss his upbringing, shaped by classical piano, Stone Love sound system nights, gospel harmonies, and the distilled “top ten” diet of Jamaica’s radio that trained his ear for greatness.  Dre flows in between sharing his own stories to the inspiration that surrounds him, his poignant care in storytelling shows not just in his music, but through conversation.  We discuss his popular collaboration “We Pray” with Popcaan including the bold choice to leak the record and let the people decide. Dre explains how visuals amplified the story months later, his debut album "Now I Rise" released in 2020 showcased his versatility and growth as an artist. Dre shares why positive music grows slowly and lasts longer, and how he avoids dating his catalog so each song feels brand new to first-time listeners years down the road. He shares studio tales behind “Nice Again” and “Situation,” where a beat built for someone else and a real-life phone call turned into records that balance melody, DJ cadence, and clean, modern production. Along the way, he nods to mentors like Buju Banton and breaks down tasteful sampling that honors the source while speaking to today. At the heart of it all is love—learned at home, witnessed in community, and now channeled into an upcoming project devoted to spiritual and romantic uplift. We talk about staying focused in a noisy era, adapting promotion from radio to social without chasing gimmicks, and building live culture in Connecticut with family-friendly events like Reggae and the Rice and Rubber Dub Fridays.  If you care about timeless songwriting, authentic storytelling, and the evolution of reggae in the age of streaming and social media, this conversation will light a fire. Support the show Style & Vibes: Website |  Newsletter | Youtube  |  Instagram |  Facebook Produced by Breadfruit Media

    Dre Island, Piano Prodigy To Reggae Messenger, Talks Timeless Music

  7. Jan 5

    Naomi Cowan: How A Hit Song Became An Album And A Love Letter To Reggae

    Chat to me! We welcome the Paradise Plum, Naomi Cowan back to unpack the heart behind her debut album, Welcome To Paradise. Inside the studio with producer Toddla T and co-writers like Runkus, she found a collaborative space where her vision held, her pen stayed sharp, and the sound fused lover’s rock warmth, subtle dancehall undertones, and modern storytelling. We dig into the album’s cohesive arc, the intimate interludes featuring her parents, and how family history roots the record in a lineage you can hear. Paradise isn’t a place on a brochure; it’s a feeling you experience through community, love, and the music that carries you there. Naomi shares how portraying music legend Marcia Griffiths in the Bob Marley biopic re-centered her commitment to making a fully reggae album, free from trend-chasing and built for longevity.  The conversation turns to a deep introspection love—romantic, communal, and self-directed.  Naomi shares her perspective on how today's culture treats independence as a badge of honor without the context of its potential isolation. She makes the case that partnership is a spiritual practice, that real growth requires letting others in, and that reggae remains a living vessel for these truths.  We also celebrate the sisterhood rising in reggae with artists like Sevana, Jaz Elise and Lila Iké, showing how authenticity dissolves competition and strengthens the scene. Along the way, Naomi opens up about performing the new songs, balancing album promotion with relief efforts after Hurricane Melissa, and why this project is meant to grow on human time, not algorithm time. Support the show Style & Vibes: Website |  Newsletter | Youtube  |  Instagram |  Facebook Produced by Breadfruit Media

    Naomi Cowan: How A Hit Song Became An Album And A Love Letter To Reggae

  8. 11/03/2025

    Voicemail's Kevyn and Qraig talk Dancehall Roots with Global Reach

    Chat to me! Two voices, one legacy, and a catalog that ignites dancehall to tek it to the dance floor every time their songs are played. In this episode I sit down with dancehall group Voicemail to unpack the spontaneous birth of their name, the unlikely path from R&B harmonies to dancehall dominance, and the creative spark behind "Weddy Time"—guided by producer Danny Champagne and inspired by Bogle’s dance moves. What follows is a rare, candid look at joy, grief, and the unbreakable thread that ties performers to fans across decades. Kevyn and Qraig take us inside the shift from five members to three, then to the duo we know today, revealing how they rebuilt their sound without losing the heart that made them. They share why Japan became a second home for their music, how a structured rollout amplified their reach, and the practical playbook young artists need now: align with the right partners, think beyond a small home market, and let quality lead because value attracts opportunity. We also discuss dancehall in the digital age—how constant access dissolved mystery, why playlists weakened artist-fan bonds, and what it takes to rebuild real community that lasts. There’s humor, vulnerability, and plenty of hard-earned wisdom: setting boundaries with love, crafting solo projects, Qraig with Me And Di Gal Dem and Kevyn with SKILLVCHI under the Voicemail banner, and remembering to celebrate the wins instead of sprinting past them. If you care about dancehall culture, artist longevity, or the craft of connecting with an audience in a crowded world, this conversation is a masterclass in resilience and reinvention. If this moved you, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves dancehall, and leave a review telling us your favorite Voicemail track and why—it helps more listeners find conversations like this. Support the show Style & Vibes: Website |  Newsletter | Youtube  |  Instagram |  Facebook Produced by Breadfruit Media

    Voicemail's Kevyn and Qraig talk Dancehall Roots with Global Reach
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Trailer

4.9
out of 5
27 Ratings

About

The Style & Vibes podcast is where Caribbean style and culture collide. Hosted by Mikelah, founder of Style & Vibes, you’ll get to know from Caribbean tastemakers and celebrities across the globe in dancehall, reggae, soca and more!

Information

  • Creator
    Mikelah Rose | Style & Vibes
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    160
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Style & Vibes Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Style & Vibes Podcast

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