With two Grammy awards, over three decades of music, and a brand new album, Shaggy shows no signs of slowing down. The Jamaican-American reggae icon, fresh off the release of his latest record Lottery, sat down to talk about what still drives him, his deep fascination with Indian music, and a candid fanboy moment involving a certain Punjabi superstar he had spotted on ‘The Tonight Show’.In an interview with Mid-Day, Shaggy was asked whether it gets harder to keep the creative fire burning after so many years in the industry. The singer-rapper was characteristically direct. He said, “First of all, I am allergic to boredom. Secondly, it’s what I do. You don’t want to see me kick a ball (laughs). [Music is] what I’m passionate about doing. The hardest thing at this stage is finding inspiration because everything you say, I’ve pretty much done already. But what keeps me going is that I’m still in and I can listen to what is going on.”Shaggy was equally clear about where his new album sits in the musical landscape and did not hesitate to carve out a category of his own. He explained, “With Lottery, you’re getting the 2026 version of Shaggy’s music. There are three types of music — dancehall, reggae, and Shaggy’s music. My music is the hybrid style that I’ve always done.”
Shaggy talks about Indian music
When the conversation turned to Indian music, it became clear that Shaggy’s interest in the subcontinent’s sounds goes back a long way. He said, “I have listened to it. I did a record with Mika Singh. If I get a good song, I’m willing to collaborate with an Indian artiste. I was fascinated with Bhangra music from early on. I used to hang around with Steven Kapur, aka Apache Indian, in my early days. He introduced me to that music.”
Shaggy talks about Diljit Dosanjh
The interview took a delightful turn when Shaggy mentioned spotting a performer on Jimmy Fallon‘s show whose work had genuinely impressed him but could not immediately recall the name. When he was prompted that it was Diljit Dosanjh, his reaction was immediate: “Yes! I saw him do some fantastic stuff.” While a formal collaboration is not currently in the works, the admiration is clearly there, and in the music world, that is often where things begin.
