Protoje – Hills
Protoje shares how he has found inner peace over the pandemic in his new song and video “Hills”. Seeking restoration and seclusion, the Jamaican wordsmith has had time to realign with nature’s gifts and cut off the outside noise. Boasting a vibrating Jamaican dub baseline fused with hip-hop, the hard-hitting anthem (produced by 8TRACK & IV The Polymath) is a precursor of what’s ahead for Protoje. “Hills” is the first single off his summer album, out via In.Digg.Nation Collective / RCA Records.
“This song narrates what the last two years have been like for me, living in the mountains while the world was on lockdown. Connecting with the simplicity that exists here and being inspired with what I see surrounding me. With the release of this single it’s like: I’ve been away for a little while, but here’s what I’ve been up to,” Protoje shares about ”Hills”.
Its video, directed by Samo, gives us an inside look into his domain and his journey to wellness. Set high above sea level in the hills of Jamaica, The Habitat is where the artist calls home. From fresh air, herb, fruit and water to daily runs and meditations in the hilltops, the openness of his tropical surroundings provide a sense of clarity—to feel without distractions.
LISTEN to “Hills” here: https://protoje.lnk.to/HILLS
Protoje will tour Africa, North America and Europe in 2022. Summer U.S. festivals include Bonnaroo and Roots Picnic. See dates below. Full calendar will be announced at a later date.
Tour Dates:
Apr 30 @ Zelan Festival Festival in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
May 26 @ Cali Roots Festival (Monterey County Fair Center) in Monterey, CA May 29 @ City Splash (Brockwell Park Gardens) in London, UK
June 3 @ Waterfront in Georgetown, Cayman Islands
June 5 @ Roots Picnic (Mann Center) in Philadelphia, PA
Jun 19 @ Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, TN
Jul 17 @ Rote Fabrik in Zürich, Switzerland
Jul 19 @ Cabaret Sauvage in Paris, France
Jul 21 @ OLT Rivierenhof in Deurne, Belgium
Jul 22 @ Summer Vibration in Sélestat, France
Jul 24 @ Junkyard in Dortmund, Germany
Oct 7-9 @ Reggae Rise Up Festival in Las Vegas, NV
ABOUT PROTOJE:
Born and raised in Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica to singer Lorna Bennett and former calypso king Mike Ollivierre, Protoje blends hip hop, soul and jazz into his native sounds of reggae and dancehall. The musical prodigy, along with a collective of fellow artists, began getting mainstream attention for their addictive melodies and conscious lyrical messages in a movement dubbed the “reggae revival.” Publications such as VOGUE, Rolling Stone and The FADER have declared him one of the brightest talents out of Jamaica. His catalog consists of the following studio albums: Seven Year Itch (2011), The 8 Year Affair (2013), Ancient Future (2015) and A Matter Of Time (2018) and In Search Of Lost Time (2020). As a producer, he receives a co-credit for Rock & Groove Riddim (2019). His studio album A Matter Of Time earned him a GRAMMY nomination for Best Reggae Album and his national U.S. TV performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, both in 2019. He has toured with Ms. Lauryn Hill and appeared on major festivals including Coachella (US), Glastonbury (UK), Afropunk (US), Reading & Leeds (UK), Sole DXB (Dubai) and Lollapalooza (Chile), reaching audiences far and wide with his genre-fusing sound. In 2020, the musician signed an unprecedented major deal with RCA Records in partnership with Six Course Records and his label and management company In.Digg.Nation Collective. Under the RCA deal, Protoje brokered individual album deals for himself as well as rising female artists Lila Iké, Sevana and Jaz Elise. He has received praise from the likes of NYLON and Uproxx for In.Digg.Nation Collective’s forward-thinking sound. He performed on NPR Tiny Desk and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert #PlayAtHome and graced one of i-D magazine’s digital covers for Spring 2021. In 2022, Protoje will release his 6th studio album.
