For King Calie, several events have contributed to his love for music. He recalls the most vivid
one being able to go on church trips with his older brothers and watching them perform. Their
graceful movements fascinated him to the point where he knew he wanted to be able to
captivate an audience the way they did. However, his method of captivation was not sign
language as his brothers, but music. He would get his practice when his younger brother
wanted to perform at birthday parties and he would join him for moral support, and from his very
first time entertaining he felt at home on a stage.
When trying to find his place in this dynamic industry, King Calie struggled with his musical
identity. He went through phases of being called “Mob 13 and “Vendetta” ironically. But this
didn’t feel right to him. After doing extensive research he came across the words “Cali” and
“Shalom,” meaning warrior and peace respectively in Swahili. He felt instant connection and
purpose when he saw those words. He knew he wanted his music to represent such a strong
and positive meaning. So, for a time he went by the name Shalom Cali, until his late friend,
Jason Aliman, started calling him “King Calie” and advising that he should introduce himself as
such.
While not being able to sing maybe considered a weakness, for King Calie, he figured out early
how to make his songs sound appealing despite this. He believes what sets him apart from
other musicians was his tenacity and his “show-man” attitude.
“I am an entertainer and wooing a crowd comes easy to me,” King Calie explained proudly.
Along with music, King Calie also finds himself drawn to Visual Arts. He stated that he has used
every day images taken from his cell phone and manipulated them in a way to make them
appear as Fine Art. He finds that this not only expresses his other creative side, but it also
provides a therapeutic effect.
King Calie believes whole-heartedly that for aspiring artistes, “if you don’t intend to deal with a
fast pace environment, this industry is not for you, so stay focus in what you believe in and
always keep improving.”
Achievements:
The first Magnum Top Performa competition winner­- By showcasing his lyrical prowess all
throughout the 18 weeks competition, King Calie was crown the Top Performa in 2021, winning
a million-dollars and a studio song with Romeich Entertaintment.
Appleton Christmas Ablum, 2019 – King Calie participated in and wrote three songs on the
Appleton Christmas Album, which was received favourably by the public.

Released EP in 2018 – His EP called, Bas y Calie, encompasses the sounds from 1990s
dancehall fusion, with a mixture of positive lyrics, romantic songs and the entire experience of
the Jamaican inner-city youth.