When Armanii took the stage at Webster Hall during Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players Week last summer, he won over the crowd with music that wasn’t even out yet. Attendees were primed to hear year-defining hits like Leon Thomas’ “Mutt” and Ravyn Lenae’s “Love Me Not,” but the first songs to get them moving and singing along came from the ascendant Jamaican star — namely “Lose Your Love,” a standout from his debut album.
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Audaciously titled The Impact, Armanii’s proper debut LP arrived near the close of last year (Dec. 1), via his partnership with UnitedMasters. Across 15 tracks, he swerves between bedroom-ready riddims (“Balcony,” with Jada Kingdom), inspirational anthems (“Champion”) and Afrobeats-adjacent bops (“U A Gwan”), effortlessly transitioning from slinky R&B vocals to punchy dancehall chants at the drop of a hat. As wide-ranging as The Impact is, Armanii’s debut excels because its unique blend of styles and sounds feels distinct. And, truthfully, none of his peers could have pulled off some of these risks. But for Armanii to reach this inflection point in his career, several global and local threads, both musical and cultural, had to converge.
Hailing from Kingston, Jamaica, the twentysomething grew up “being in the studio with [his] uncles,” one of whom was Grammy-winning dancehall icon Beenie Man. “We were always at music video shoots… that’s why I feel I’m more seasoned in terms of knowing what I want,” he reflects. That early musical foundation soon manifested itself in local performances, with Armanii winning over a crowd of girls at a school fair near Kingston College, the high school he attended at the time, with “something he wrote in middle school.” By the song’s end, the artist born Armani Givenchy Moodie became “known as the kid who could do music.”
With virtually every sign pointing to a proper career in music, Armanii started taking his craft seriously around 2019, which gave way to a string of 2020s projects that established him as one of the most exciting voices in Caribbean music. 2022’s Metamorphosis presented the roots of his richly melodic approach to dancehall, 2023’s Nostalgic spawned his first buzzy hit (“Dunce Barbie”) and 2024’s No Signal saw him further leveling up by way of dynamic collaborations with homegrown talent like D’yani and Govana.
Between his smashes with Malie Donn (“7:00 PM”) and DJ Mac & CrashDummy (“Haad”), two slinky dancehall hits that helped make him inescapable across the Caribbean and its global diaspora cities like New York and London, 2024 also marked a major year for Armanii. He kept up that momentum throughout 2025, inking a deal with United Masters that spring and beginning the lengthy, socially conscious rollout for The Impact, which snagged a spot on Billboard’s 10 Best Caribbean Albums of 2025 list. And he’s not done yet. Billboard can also exclusively reveal that Armanii will share the deluxe version of The Impact, featuring his new “Fulla Gyal” single, on March 27.
With each new single, Armanii uncovers new layers of his artistry, ranging from suggestive, Kartel-esque wordplay (“XOXO”) to transformed soul samples (“B.B.B.”). His magnetism, drive and overall artistic instincts make him a natural leader of the next generation of Caribbean music superstars — and a natural pick for Billboard’s inaugural Caribbean Rookie of the Month.
Below, Armanii chats with Billboard about crafting his debut album, balancing familial expectations with personal aspirations and leading dancehall’s next era.
So, exactly how old are you?
Mi never give mi age. [Laughs.] This is going to get me in a lot of trouble. I even declined the Famous Birthdays [website]. It keeps me mysterious. I’m infinite! But I’m around 22-25.
What are some of your earliest musical memories?
When I was around five or six, my mom’s husband at the time was Beenie Man’s brother, so we were always at music video shoots and stuff. Music has been my whole life for real.
What are some of the earliest songs you remember getting stuck in your head as a kid?
“Soul Provider” by Romain Virgo, “I Feel Good” by Beres Hammond and “Girls Dem Sugar” by Beenie Man were my three from growing up, until I ventured into different genres.
You named songs that are all pretty melodic. Did those tracks inspire you to sing more on your own records?
I wouldn’t say they influenced me to sing on my records, but they gave me the idea of what people love to hear. I drift towards that style more, but I’m also open to other ones. I like my music to have a universal tone, so instead of a singjay or deejay, I just say I adapt.
Talk to me about the first time you performed your own music on stage.
Oh, I was nervous! It was a school near Kingston College, which is the high school I went to. It was a school fair, and there were a lot of girls there. My friends influenced me to go, and I sang something that I wrote in middle school. And the crowd went crazy. It was just some simple rhyme, but at that time, for us, it was fun. After that, I was known as the kid [who] could make music.
When was the moment you decided to pursue music professionally?
I tried to get a job, but I quit after the third day. It was at Golden Krust. It just wasn’t for me, so I started locking in around 2019. I told myself I was going to take it seriously because I have the talent, I just didn’t have the team. From there, it was straight recording without putting anything out. I wanted to perfect my craft, create my sound, create my image, and then go from there.
How did you end up with UnitedMasters?
2024 was my breakout year. I’d say I was buzzing before that on the local scene in the Caribbean and in New York, but that year brought my career to a global scale. UnitedMasters is one of the labels that reached out to me, and I picked them because I don’t like working for everybody and it’s still an independent label. Instead of them trying to create an image for me, they just put steroids in the image I made.
What’s it been like navigating a music career, especially in the dancehall space, as the son of a preacher?
I doubt anybody really knew I was a pastor’s kid, because it’s not really a pastor’s kid type of music that I’m making. But it wasn’t hard for me. I grew up around music, and I see what it takes to stay level-headed. The part I had to accept was that my mom isn’t going to be as into it as I would like. But I have to respect that because her beliefs were there before my career, and they’re going to be there after.
How did the Jada Kingdom collab come together?
I was recording the song in my room with my producer, and I was like, “I need a female on this.” My fanbase is mostly females, and for years and years and years, they wanted a Jada Kingdom collaboration. I asked her, and she fell in love with the song. And I’m not just a co-worker; I’m also a fan of her music. I think I know every single Jada Kingdom song. It’s just fire music.
Why was it important for you to have sweeter, more traditional reggae songs like “Lose Your Love?”
That kind of sound is what brought reggae to the world, right? Bob Marley, Beres Hammond, all the greats. It’s always going to be a sound that lives forever. As a young-gen artist, doing that sound and adding lyrics that resonate with everybody would create a massive hit. Me, Supa Dups and the writers aimed for that. And the hook is a feel-good hook that anybody can sing, no matter what age or race. It’s a soulful, nostalgic thing. It’s me giving a new BBQ song, I would call it.
What brought you and Bay Swag together?
I have a song called “You & I,” which is a sexy drill beat, but the core is dancehall lyrics. We all know Bay Swag can do the sexy drill rap thing, but I wanted to take that sound [and] make it into a U.K./NYC sound, which is mainly groovy. And you have to catch people in the first 10 seconds of the song, so I also knew I needed a rapper. To me, Bay Swag is one of the hottest artists out of New York, and we linked up because we’re also signed to the same label. I made sure we had some Jamaican slang in the lyrics, too.
How has your writing process evolved?
I wouldn’t say I write; I live in the moment, and whatever comes to my brain, I put it on the record. That works for me because my brain works faster than my fingers. That’s what makes this album so special because everything is not forced. It was just the right moment and the right time for each song.
Who were the producers you worked with most closely for the album?
Prodbycarpp, who’s an in-house producer, worked on a lot of my early breakout hits. And then we had Supa Dups, Kheil “Stone” Harrison, and 1Kulcha, my best friend, who made my first hit song, “Dunce Barbie.” We assembled the Avengers.
We all had to have the same love for music, on a level where we understand the outcome we’re looking for. And at the same time, we want to make sure the fans have a good time and enjoy a project that is of a high caliber. We were on the same vibration.
Who are some of your favorite R&B voices of all time? What about right now?
My top three would have to be Boyz II Men, Brian McKnight and Chris Brown. I love to sing in my spare time when there’s nobody around or no music. As a pastor’s kid, that’s all I grew up doing. For the new sound now, I have to go with Giveon. I also really mess with kwn; I like how she creates.
Who are some of your dream collaborations?
Locally, it would be Alkaline, Original Koffee, Chronixx, Sean Paul, and Beenie Man. Worldwide… everybody wants a song with Drake! Chris Brown, too. I would love to do a song with Burna Boy and Wizkid on the same track. Gunna, for sure.
What are your top three songs from The Impact?
“Shy,” “Lose Your Love” and “Siq.”
How did Hurricane Melissa impact your release plans?
We definitely had to push back the album, because I felt that it would be insensitive to drop a project when my country is in shambles. We took a step back and decided to use that budget and give back with the “Champion” music video. We wanted to make sure the people who supported us feel supported, so they can keep supporting us. Without fans, we’re not really anybody, just people making music. We’re so happy that the country is getting back to where it was.
Was “Champion” recorded before the storm?
I recorded “Champion” a week before the hurricane hit. It’s a powerful song. If you really sit down and listen to the lyrics, it’s really motivational. I call it Jamaica’s “Dreams and Nightmares.”
In 2026, what’s your biggest hope for dancehall and Jamaican music and culture?
I like the place Dancehall is right now. With more focus and help from all angles, we can be where we once were with Beenie Man and Shaggy and Sean Paul. Of course, I would love to have myself in the mix, which is why we’re working hard to make sure this album leaves an impact, no pun intended. Once dancehall gets the shine that it needs, everybody will be uplifted, and the genre will be placed back in its position.
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