“I will never retire from music. I love it too much,” Vybz Kartel tells PEOPLE

NEED TO KNOW

• Vybz Kartel spoke exclusively to PEOPLE following his performance at Reggaeland UK
• The Jamaican dancehall star credits faith, personal growth, and Jamaican culture as key influences on his new album God & Time
• He teased upcoming shows and projects, while vowing to “never retire from music”

Vybz Kartel is opening up about the key moments in his life that have inspired his music.

The dancehall star, 50, spoke exclusively to PEOPLE on Aug. 5, just days after headlining Reggaeland UK in Milton Keynes. The music festival was his first performance in England since his release from prison on July 31, 2024. 

Kartel’s convictions were overturned following rulings by the UK Privy Council and the Jamaican Courts. He revealed that personal reflection, faith, and Jamaican culture have all influenced his recently released album, God & Time.

“It’s just like the process of life, the process of maturity, the process of understanding who you are, stepping out of yourself, observing who you are, observing your thoughts,” Kartel (real name Adidja Palmer) told PEOPLE of his album. “And understanding that, yo, that’s a red flag. That’s a green flag. OK, move this there.”

“Compartmentalize your life and just focus, [be] purposeful, and [choose] something to aspire to be,” he continued. “God made us in His own image, so we have to aspire to be in the image of God. So it’s God & Time. It’s just basically change.”

Kartel is set to release music videos for the songs on the album featuring Afrobeats artist Wizkid, as well as fellow dancehall stars Spice and Skillibeng.

While discussing his performance at Reggaeland UK, Kartel revealed that his 2009 song “Romping Shop” with Spice remains one of his favorites to perform.

“Love that song. Big up Spice, by the way,” he said.

Kartel explained that “the essence of what Vybz’s character represents” changed during his time in prison. This means a variety of songs that were released before and while he was in prison have “gangster lyrics” that he no longer enjoys performing.

“I do my gun lyrics, [but] I don’t like [it],” he told PEOPLE. “Back in the day we had those very intolerable lyrics, for want of a better phrase. So we don’t do those. The world is an ever-changing, evolving place. You have to find your place and understand how the world works. So certain things we would never do because it’s distasteful.”

“I mean, music is art and art is a reflection of life, and once life is evolving, the music, which is the art, has to evolve with it,” he continued, adding, “I think the music is more global in terms of what people are willing to say and what not to say. A lot of intent has to be put into your music in terms of what you want to say. “

Kartel confessed that growing up he didn’t understand why people would pray multiple times a day, but he got closer to God during his time in prison. Prayer has now become necessary for direction and to understand aspects of everyday life.

“Going through what I was going through in my life in prison and just seeing everything that I worked for just slowly begin to disintegrate. I’m watching my kids grow up. I’m watching my relationships, not just with loved ones, fall apart. I’m watching myself get older. Like, there comes a time when you have to be like, oh, I can’t be fighting in this direction. I need to change course,” Kartel told PEOPLE.

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“I’m a Capricorn, I’m very stubborn, but sometimes you have to humble yourself,” he continued.  “So that brings me to the next powerful point in my life, which is humility, not just gratitude. You have to have the humility to understand what’s going on and step out of [yourself] and say I cannot do this alone. I need God. I need structure. 

“I pray every chance I get,” he said. “I can be talking to someone and the thought just comes to me, and I’m like, ‘Father, God, thank you’ because the core is gratitude. If you don’t count your blessings, how are you going to know where they are?”

Kartel spoke highly of the team he worked with to perfect the themes for each song he performed at Reggaeland, as well as his UK-based dancers.

When asked if having Graves’ disease impacted his ability to rehearse, the dancehall star emphasized that the autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid gland doesn’t slow him down.

“Funny enough, you know, it doesn’t because I have hyper, not hypo, so it doesn’t impact in terms of stamina and the ability to DJ for like two hours,” he told PEOPLE, adding, “They basically had to beg me to come off stage at Reggaeland.”

Kartel is set to return to the UK to perform alongside Mavado at the O2 Arena on Sept. 9. The pair will then perform at Freedom Street Europe in Malta from Sept. 10 to 13.

The dancehall star will headline the Vybz Island Experience Cruise from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas in April 2027.

“We’re doing it big with the Gaza Gully event this year again,” he told PEOPLE. “It’s history redeems itself as opposed to repeating itself, because this time around we’re doing it properly. We’re doing it for the culture. We’re doing it for the fans, and we’re doing it for the nostalgia.”

Kartel teased that his upcoming shows will include a few surprise acts. 

When asked if there will be another Gaza Empire, the “Summer Time” singer said he recently signed a new artist who hasn’t yet been brought out on stage. He said that he “will never stop pushing new talent, plus I’ve got my kids as well.”

During Reggaeland UK, Kartel brought out his fiancée Sidem Öztürk to announce they are expecting their first child together. He has seven children from previous relationships.

The “Fever” singer explained that they decided to announce the pregnancy at the music festival because they were aware of photos circulating online that were fueling speculation Öztürk had a baby bump.

“Reporters took a few shots and posted it and people were like, ‘yo, baby bump, baby bump,’ ” said Kartel. “So we knew it was inevitable. We were like, I’m an entertainer. I’m doing one of the biggest shows in the UK. It’s going to be a vibe. Perfect place. She’s British, so we think it was a fitting moment for the reveal.”

Kartel and Öztürk celebrated their baby news by “enjoying each other’s company” ahead of the music festival. The dancehall star said they intend to continue sharing their pregnancy journey with fans.

“We are gonna do the gender reveal,” he said. “It will definitely be publicized. But not necessarily commercialized because we’re not going to be, ‘Oh, we’re throwing a gender reveal party. Admission is $1000. No, we’re just doing our thing, but it’s going to be publicized.”

When asked if he has any fatherhood advice given his experience, Kartel addressed men who are yet to have children.

“As much as you can. This is very controversial, but I will say it anyway, as much as you can… If you don’t have kids yet, try to keep all of them with one woman,” Kartel told PEOPLE. “I mean, I grew up in a two-parent home, my mother and my father, so I don’t think it’s bad advice, right? 

“Listen to the message, not the messenger, is what I’m saying,” he added.

Having been asked specifically for advice for men who already have children, the “Zelle” singer said, “All you have to do is just be a good father. That’s the key and being a good father doesn’t have to do with money. Being a good father has to do with time, discipline, and setting your child on a purposeful path. That’s it. The money is just the icing on the cake.

“If you’re a dad and you have time, we understand that you’re not rich,” he continued. “My dad wasn’t rich. I loved my father and I’m glad he was in my life. So, yeah, just be a good dad. Nobody expects you to be Bill Gates. We see you. Your baby mom sees you. She knows you’re broke. Just be there. That’s it.”

Kartel revealed to PEOPLE that his fiancée Öztürk and his daughters have had an influence on his new album God & Time.

“We met online while I was incarcerated. She came to Jamaica in 2019, and then in 2022, I decided I’m gonna make a big step, come to Jamaica,” he said of Öztürk. “She took a leap of faith, moved mountains, moving mountains, and she’s here. 

“All the women in my life that I’m close to emotionally influence my music, whether it’s my mom, my daughter, Sidem, my fiancé, my sisters,” Kartel continued.

Revealing that songs “Kiss Me Baby” and “They’re Outta Love We Aren’t” were written for Öztürk, he added, “She is one of my muses, like all the women that are close to me.”

Kartel told PEOPLE that he’s unable to share details of their upcoming wedding in America because Öztürk is taking charge of plans.

“This is above my pay grade right now. You have to talk to the boss and she’s clearly not here,” he joked. “We live in America, she’s coming back in a few months. So then you’ll hear more on that.”

Kartel revealed that he has no plans to stop releasing music after the birth of his eighth child.

“I will never retire from music. I love it too much,” he told PEOPLE. “The money’s amazing, but it’s not about the money. It’s about the love.  And when you love it the way I love it, the money’s just going to come regardless.”

Referring to Öztürk’s pregnancy, Kartel continued, “I wouldn’t say a pregnancy inspired me to do more music. It just inspired me to be more mindful of the future. More planning. That’s it. Just things like that make you more purposeful as a man, because now you have more responsibilities.”

Kartel said that he needs to schedule time to routinely visit Jamaica when working on music. 

“Do you not have to plug your phone in ever so often for it to get recharged? Jamaica is the battery,” he told PEOPLE. “Jamaica is the source. You cannot stray too far from the source. That’s why culture is so significant. That’s why people create their own little Jamaica where they go, or you have a little Haiti, a little Chinatown, a little Italy. You cannot stray from the source.”

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