Knii Lante looks to Rebel Salute

Ghanaian singer Knii Lante is gearing up for his first major performance in Jamaica -- Rebel Salute -- on Friday.

This is Lante's third trip to Jamaica and he is determined to make a lasting impression.

"I was in Jamaica in May last year when I launched my album True Feelings at Redbones. Performing at Rebel Salute has been a dream of mine, especially after meeting Tony Rebel and Queen Ifrica when I did the remix of my song Baby Take Good Care. I will be performing songs from the album so I am excited about that," he told the Jamaica Observer.

A physician by profession, Lante grew up in the city of Accra. He recorded his second album, True Feelings, at Grafton Studios in Kingston with producers Mikey Bennett and Dean Fraser.

Its first single, Baby Take Good Care, was a minor hit in Ghana. Singer Cherine Anderson is featured on the Fraser-produced track Loving You which was released two weeks ago.

Lante, who is in his early 40s, won the 2014 Vodafone Ghana Music Award for Best Video for the original version of Baby Take Good Care.

As a youth, Lante said he listened to African artistes including Wulomei, Osibisa and Fela Kuti. Later, he discovered reggae through Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff, as well as the pop music of Abba, Michael Jackson and Babyface.

In 2010 he released his debut album Love and Revolution.

The January 16-17 Rebel Salute takes place at Richmond Estate in St Ann, Jamaica.