Like many Caribbean children born in the 80’s, Reggae, Neo-Reggae and Dancehall recording and performing artist, “SHINE-I” (Darius Semper), grew up listening to legends like Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff. Self-awareness and love for music led him to the recording studio and His Debut Album, The Foundation, was released in 2012, in his homeland of The Virgin Islands (VI). SHINE-I topped the local charts, received awards and became a staple for local promoters.
SHINE-I soon became an advocate for the development of VI music; and in 2015, founded a unique production called “Bridging The Gap” (BTG) for the promotion and exhibition of Virgin Islands’ Artists. The production generated a following over four years and was even used as a platform to raise awareness and funds for cerebral palsy and autism charities – in honour of his youngest child.
SHINE-I has acquired much experience performing and touring, with noteworthy performances on Chronixx’s 2016 Dread and Terrible Tour, De Apostle’s 2016 Brazilian Razor Blade Tour; and Buju Banton’s 2019 Long Walk to Freedom Tour. Crowd favourites often included I Got It Bad, from The Foundation; Only Jah, a Brazilian favourite; and Mommy and Daddy, which features vocal and musical contributions from three of his six children.
In 2019, he moved from the VI to the United Kingdom (UK) to improve the quality of life for his family. SHINE-I returned to the studio after a brief acclimatisation period and by October, 2020, had released his first UK single, Music is Life. The pandemic-themed single, No More, soon followed; and on the Birthday of H.I.M Haile Selassie (23rd July, 2021) his first EP, Difference, was released. As 2022 unfolded SHINE-I pressed on. By October, he had released Revolutionaries; a track which features two British rappers to create a unique sound - successfully peaking fans’ interest yet again!
2023 opened with a fresh, fiery force with the audio and video release of See Your Fire, backed by Swiss teammates, Lions Flow Production. By 2024 SHINE-I would see his YouTube views boosted to over 350,000 due to the 2023 release and promotion of his single Bad Mind.
Now a 2025 Godiva Calling Winner, SHINE-I shows no signs of slowing down as he continues to write, record and prepare for the release of new music and more visuals