Wyclef Jean talks working with Panic on upcoming reggae album, ‘One Night in Kingston’

Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on July 2, 2024

Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella

Wyclef Jean has a reggae album in the works. He tells Billboard the idea came to mind after a conversation with the album’s executive producer, Tom Jones aka Panic.

“I’ve known Panic for over 20 years; he said, ‘Yo, we need a Wyclef Jean reggae album,’ so he brought me into the studio,” Wyclef said of his upcoming album, One Night in Kingston, which does not yet have a release date.

“I never put a date on music because that means it isn’t good,” Wyclef said. “Music has to be like a Lauryn Hill album, the best album of all time.”

One Night in Kingston includes rhythms played live by The Compound Band, who have toured with Stephen Marley, Buju Banton and more. It came to life via digital communication and features Jada Kingdom, as well as a song with Luciano and Stonebwoy that sees Haiti, Jamaica and Africa come together on one track.

“I wanted to feature young Jamaican artists,” Wyclef said. “That’s my pulse, rocking with the youth, getting their energy out there.”