Background
Smiley was born in Aruba in 1980.
Smiley was born in Aruba in 1980.
He has been making music since he was seventeen years old. He moved to the Netherlands in 2000. Foreign three years he toured with the popular Dutch reggae band Out of Many.
Smiley has performed at several festivals and venues in Europe and Aruba.
He has also been the support act of reggae artist Ziggi Recado on his Dutch and German In Transit tour. In 2008 Smiley travelled to Jamaica to work with Barry ‘o Hare and Altafaan Records.
Smiley also collaborated with Junior Kelly. The video of the track called “Democratic a Wonder” has been aired by Reggae Entertainment Television, Tempo television and TMF Pure.
lieutenant also enjoyed rotation on the reggae radio station Irie FM in Jamaica.
In November 20, 2009 Smiley’s song “Distance” was released on the Tek “a” Train riddim selection of the German reggae label Rootdown Records. The video reached the number 1 position in the Reggaefrance video charts. The video also aired on Tempo television and TMF Pure.
The was released in May 2010 and had a good reception by the reggaefans.
The title song of the European Parliament became a top ten charted song in the summer of 2010 in Curaçao and Bonaire. In the same year Smiley performed at the Reggaejam and Ruhr Reggae Summerfestival in Germany.
By the end of 2010 Smiley was featured on different riddimselections and collaborations. Smiley collaborated with Spanish rapper Abram (Rogando a Jah).
Smiley has songs on three of the five best German riddims of 2010, voted by the readers of Riddim Magazine.
Kokoo Riddim (Lively Road) Everlasting Riddim by Powpow Movement (Bad Minds) and the Youth Riddim (State of emergency). The single State of Emergency was released on the same day as the single “Keep the Joy” featuring Anthony B. Both songs were featured on the Riddim Magazine mix-cd in February 2011. The song “Keep the Joy” was also featured on the comic Dread & Alive Lost Tapes mixtape volume 6 in May 2011.
At the end of 2011, Smiley collaborated on a track with former Aftermath-artist Bishop Lamont called “Golddiggy” Smiley’s latest song and video What’s New was released on the Driver riddim selection by Lockdown Productions (Tippa Irie).