It's about 2.00 a.m. on Sunday morning. The sky is dark and there's a chill in the air yet thousands of people stand on a beach watching their superstar perform. Singing the words to countless songs, clapping, waving their hands, blowing air horns and igniting lighters. All in the name of reggae.

Who is this man that thousands of people have come out to see and why would they stand in line for hours to see him?

Well, he's none other than Bermuda's own international reggae sensation, Collie Buddz.

After almost a year of trying to track Mr. Buddz down for an interview, he finally sat down and gave us his story.

Speaking about an hour after he stepped off stage at the Masters of the Arena Concert in a dimly lit VIP tent on Saturday, July 28, Collie reflected on how it feels to be successful, his encounters with groupies and what his plans are for the future.

He has been surrounded by fans, local artists and DJ's wanting an autograph or picture taken with him since he arrived at Snorkel Park. With a smile on his face, Buddz takes countless pics, gives dap and signs autographs for everyone who asks.

Collie Buddz, 25, was born Colin Harper in New Orleans to a Bermudian mother and American father. He returned to the Island with his mother and brother Matthew (Smokey) after his father passed away.

The man who always has on a pair of shades attended Warwick Academy and received an Associates degree in audio engineering from Full Sail Real World Education in Florida in 2001. He was signed to Sony BMG Records in 2004 after producing his own music out of his Harper Digital studio.

The Somerset native recalls being introduced to reggae at a young age.

" I was introduced to reggae by my brother, Matthew (Smokey) Harper. I don't know if I fell in love with it then because I love all music. But reggae music is all I know."

When it came to talking about fame, Collie said with a smile on his face and his head shaking: "I can't explain it. It's something you can never get used to."

He explained that he has travelled all over the world, practically living out of a suitcase for the past year.

"We've been a lot of places. Amsterdam was probably my favourite. Amsterdam was nice. And Hawaii was nice. We performed in Waikiki."

Even though he has performed in some of the best venues all over the world, Mr. Buddz names the Caribbean as his all time favourite place to do a show.

"I loved performing in Trinidad and Jamaica. Jamaica has the best vibes. Theres no place like Jamaica. It's amazing."

The Sony recording artists talked about how it feels to have so much success with his debut CD. The album has been number one on the reggae Billboard charts since it debuted on July 3.

"To be successful with the CD is an amazing feeling. I can't really explain it. It's all like a dream and sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure it's real," he smiled.

He names "Moving On" his favourite track on the album and "Wild Out" his favorite song to perform.

The man who claims he never writes his lyrics down but goes over the songs in his head until he has memorised them gets upset when people say he doesn't big up Bermuda enough. "What's funny is I receive the most criticism in Bermy. Even if they're talking bad about me, as long as they're talking, I'm happy. I big up Bermy everywhere I go. And everytime I'm performing, I always see a Bermy flag in the crowd."

Collie has included a song on his album with the title "Defend Your Own" which calls out every part of Bermuda from Somerset to St. George's in the third verse. The artist names White Hill, JVC, Deep Dale, Parkside, Devils Hole, St. George's and many other parts of the Island. One of the perks of being a recording artist is the groupies that do everything in their power to get backstage to meet the star. Collie laughed when he was asked if he has experienced groupies.

"Definitely, yes, I've experienced the groupies," he said shaking his head with a big smile on his face.

"I've got stories but I don't think they would be appropriate."

So what's in the future for Bermuda's susperstar? He said he is already working on the next album and revealed Harper Digital will play a big part in it.

Mr. Buddz will be performing at Reggae Rising in California on Friday. He explained the show is like the Woodstock of reggae and has an over 100,000 member audience. He will be back in Bermuda for the Non-Mariners Race at Mangrove Bay on Sunday performing, backed by local reggae band Homegrown.

For more information on Collie Buddz, visit his website www.colliebuddz.com, www.myspace.com/colliebuddz or www.vybezalliance.tv/colliebuddz.