Caribbean Up-And-Comer of the Month: Malie Donn Upholds Portmore’s Dancehall Legacy With ‘Golden Child’ Debut Album
Categoria: Musica
The Waterford-bred star is Billboard's Caribbean Up-And-Comer of the Month for August.
Por Billboard | 12/08/2026
Nearly three years after he burst onto the scene with the easy-riding, Ireland Boss-produced “V6,” ascendant Jamaican dancehall star Malie Donn is finally ready to unleash his debut studio album, The Golden Child . Related Caribbean Up-And-Comer of the Month: Ayetian Is Shaking Up Dancehall by Blending His Haitian & Jamaican Roots Shyne, Patra, Calypso Rose & Alan Cavé Among Special Honorees at 2026 Caribbean Music Awards Caribbean Up-And-Comer of the Month: Lady Lava Chose Her Career Over Being a Housewife — And Inspired Women Across the Diaspora in the Process The 20-track set, which lands on Sept. 4 via VP Records, marks a crowning moment for the artist born Kymalie Hylton. Born and raised in the Waterford neighborhood of Portmore in Jamaica, Malie Donn, 25, is the latest inheritor of a remarkable dancehall lineage. Several genre luminaries came of age in Portmore, including Popcaan, Blak Ryno and Masicka. Chief among those artists is, of course, King of Dancehall and Billboard cover star Vybz Kartel, whose music Donn’s father used to play in the house. “I grew up around a lot of musical elements in Waterford, which is where people like Vybz Kartel grew up,” he tells Billboard . “I used to see Masicka and so many other young artists above us, so I found myself making music starting from [banging] beats on desks. That’s when I found out I had a true passion for music. As a yute growing up in that era, Kartel played a big part in my views on music and how I go about [making it].” After officially deciding to end his collegiate track and field career, Donn spent the beginning of the 2020s releasing a steady stream of standalone singles that culminated in early local hits like 2022’s “Hennergy” and “Crook.” “V6,” which steadily went viral thanks to its laid-back riddim and Kartel-name-checking wordplay, arrived in February 2023, and by the end of the summer, he scored his breakthrough hit and earned his freedom after being detained in Barbados on allegations of sexual assault that were ultimately dismissed. At the close of 2023, Donn boasted an enviable collection of hits, including “Dragga,” “Cups Up,” “Little Miss Grippy” and “Dungeon.” By only recording over riddims that “get him moving right away,” Donn ensures that he “becomes one with the music,” allowing his cadence and delivery to shift in intensity or softness depending on the feel of the beat. “If me and the music aren’t compatible, it won’t work,” he says. More recently, Donn — who’s nominated for the Dancehall Impact honor at September’s Caribbean Music Awards — has snagged hits like 2024’s “Whats Popping,” 2025’s “Charge Up” (with Armanii) and this year’s “Reboot” and “Van Cleef.” According to Luminate, he’s logged over 36.7 million official on-demand U.S. streams in 2026. Malie Donn has put out two projects in the last two years — 2024’s The Grand Rising EP (which spawned his Armanii -assisted smash “7:00”) and 2025’s Leak the Hard Drive surprise pack — but The