Empress K chats with Iba MaHr at Montreal Reggae Festival 2015 #DiamondSoxAlbum

Photos and story by Empress K for Reggae Reflection  See additional summer & fall festival coverage in the latest edition of Island Stage Magazine.

This summer, I had the pleasure of meeting with upcoming Reggae artist, Iba Mahr after his performance at the Montreal International Reggae Festival, an annual event that takes place every August. Iba Mahr had just recently wrapped up the Young Lions Tour, a month long tour with Kabaka Pyramid over the summer and was making his first appearance in Canada. We had a brief chat about his recent tour experience and his upcoming album which he has titled Diamond Sox to be released on November 20, 2015.

Empress K: Greetings Iba Mahr. I just saw you perform and it was great!

Iba Mahr: One Love and greetings. This is Iba MaHR from afar. It’s always a great to connect with Reggae Reflection.

Empress K: Thanks! I hear this is your first time in Canada?

Iba Mahr: Yes this is my first time and I’m loving it!

Empress K: You just came off a successful US tour, the Young Lions Tour that took you several places all over the US. What was that experience like?

Iba MaHr: It really gives you an insight of the importance of connecting with the people on an intimate level. And really brings them closer to your music, closer to you as a person to know what you stand for, what the music really embodies. That is what I think we achieved from doing this tour.

Empress K: Now how did you come together with Kabaka Pyramid to do the tour?

Iba MaHR: I met Kabaka through music. The first time we met was in Europe and we were basically on a tour together, too. Ever since we’ve been friends. So we decided since we toured Europe, not to tour Europe this summer, but to tour America instead

Empress K: You had a chance to go to some nice intimate clubs. You were in Cambridge, MA, which is near where I am from and Ocean Mist in Rhode Island. What was the experience like in New England?

Iba Mahr: I think for the entire tour, it was more of a great vibe. Even when it wasn’t a packed show, the connection was with fans who really like your music and not people who came out just to have a vibe.

People would sing along to each song. It would even surprise me some of the times because we have some new songs that people really just have on the tip of their lips and it’s a great experience.
I want to do it again. What we want to do is tour in America sometime in the spring next year. Try to get people closer to the album just the same.

Empress K: Do you have a title yet for the album ?

Iba MaHr: So much titles. We are thinking about the title, Diamond Sox definitely and Glory of the King. The album will reflect my timeline and what I represent and the journey of my music. And Diamond Sox represents that journey to me. We look forward to it.