I met with Colin Harper, more popularly referred to as Collie Buddz, at The Tropic on 49th Street and 7th Avenue in Manhattan. He had just come off stage at Madison Square Garden Theatre and had another performance there at 12.30 a.m.

I was introduced to his posse of ten — including his manager and promoter from Sony Urban. The atmosphere around the large table was great.

Collie talked openly about his plans, thoughts, busy schedule and Bermuda. He had had several telephone interviews that day, including one with ‘The Source’, a popular Hip Hop magazine.

The upcoming release of his self-titled album ‘Collie Buddz’ is June 26.

The album will consist of 12 tracks — with two or three bonus tracks. It is nearly complete, with one final tune in the making.

Alongside the production of his debut album, he has been touring heavily on both sides of the Atlantic.

He started a European tour at the beginning of 2007, and when asked what venue stood out he excitedly talked about the Brazil Bar in Amsterdam.

The venue had a 250-person capacity and the stage was the bar. Fans ordering drinks all around as Collie’s song ‘Come Around’ filled the room.

Collie summed up the European Tour as “crazy”, referring in large part to the constant travelling, packed schedule and, most importantly, the great people he met both in terms of the fans and people within the European music scene.

Collie’s largest audience was in Tampa, Florida with a crowd of upwards of 18,000. He played there in March ‘07 alongside the Marley Brothers. There was a great response from the massive audience.

Collie feels slightly hard done by some of the questionable publicity he has received in reference to representing Bermuda. I want to assure Bermudians that they will not get a more patriotic voice on the international stage than Collie’s.

“I think of Bermuda wherever I go,” he said.

A few things need to be acknowledged in order to appreciate the entire picture of what Collie is trying to do. Firstly in terms of his video, some ask why it wasn’t shot in Bermuda and instead in Jamaica. It goes without saying that Jamaica is the soul of reggae, but it was also decided in large part by Sony Urban and the opportunity to work with Ras Kassa, a Jamaican director.

The video was actually shot in Tivoili, Jamaica, where the ‘Passa Passa’ party was happening. The video is done with the backdrop of this live party going on around him.

We entered Madison Square Garden Theatre through the artist’s entrance, and we all walked backstage where there were a lot of people getting into their costumes, they were dancers for Machel Montana. Collie went on stage to a full house, but the crowd had not been given time to settle and the lights had not been dimmed, which brought the event’s organisers into question.

Machel Montana, 33, who has hits like ‘Jumbie’ and ‘Higher than High’ was the headliner, and in this case, Collie was only given a 12-minute window to work with. Every third person in the audience had a Trinidadian flag in the air, and they were supporting Machel, and his Soca style. In the sea of red, I noticed a group of people in the middle of the crowd holding up the Bermudian flag.

Niko Mejias, a Bermudian residing in New York, said after Collie’s set: “Great performance, but it is a shame not many people knows his songs yet. But he is doing really well, much respect and support!”

Note the appropriate use of the word “yet”, and also note that ‘Come Around’ was recognised by the majority of the 2,000-plus crowd.

Before heading off to Queens, where Collie was the main act, we stopped by his hotel to view some pictures and the first draft to the cover of his upcoming album. I feel it important to add this as once again Collie’s Bermudian roots and patriotism will shine brightly.

I will not go into details but the earthy feel to the album cover is spot on.

We headed to Queens in a Cadillac Escalade and a Mercedes SUV, arriving at Rum Jungle at 1.45 a.m.

We were escorted to a room just off the stage with zebra print on the walls and a one-way window looking out across the venue. After a brief sound check, Collie took to the stage just after 2 a.m., he was greeted warmly by the full house in this intimate venue.

His sound and stage presence were great and one fan encapsulated how I think the crowd felt, saying: “Collie rocks out like no other, sweet sound the world’s been missing. Nuff love and respect.”

The crowd erupted when ‘Come Around’ kicked in, anthem status on its way to being secured. A support system is vital in any scenario and Collie’s posse is as solid as it is supportive.

Let me introduce them, starting with Kevin Holness (AKA Dupazz, road manager and head of promotion) who summed up the Queens performance: “Tonight was another impressive performance by Collie. I’ve known Collie for over two years and I’ve seen him grow from not only being a wicked studio artist but to a magnificent performer on stage.”

Collie’s DJ is Pee Wee from Pretty Posse sounds out of New York, who adds not only credentials but support toward the movement.

Elizabeth Hausle, vice president of Product Marketing for Sony Urban could only sing praise for Collie and Dino Delvaille (pictured), Collie’s manager. The solid relationship between the two was nearly tangible. Dino has now dedicated himself entirely to Collie.

“I remember meeting this kid in my office with his former manager and saying ‘I like your stuff’, not knowing that the white kid was the artist and the black guy with dreads was the manager,” he said. “I was not only impressed but intrigued that this guy knew so much about reggae, the culture and the history.

“I knew this was something special, and those special ones come once every five years in my experience. Collie Buddz is truly special as an artist and a person.”

Collie’s Bermuda contingent are another important aspect to this project, once again in terms of unwavering support, but also helping to keep Collie grounded and humble. Collie’s brother, Matthew Harper (AKA Smokey) has been part of the movement since the beginning and will continue to be an integral pillar. Matthew Hayward (AKA Pork) is one of Collie’s oldest friends and probably one of his strongest grounding forces.

Matthew Fullerton and David Roache also flew in from Bermuda to show support. Roache collaborated on one of the songs on the upcoming album, and along with C’Day will be signed under the Harper Digital label, which is a Bermuda-based label fronted by Collie. To sum up, Beanie Man, the self proclaimed king of dancehall, take note of the infectious sound and solid stage performances of Collie Buddz as he makes his way onto the global scene. I think the best way to sum up my feelings is to quote Al Pacino in ‘Scent of a Woman’. “Embrace him. He’s going to make you proud one day, I promise you.”