It is a rare thing to meet an artiste who is not driven by the mere trappings of fame and money but something more noble. Canadian dancehall artiste N'Zye is one such entertainer who does music for the love of it.

He has been raising eyebrows in local music circles with his latest EP, the artfully produced The Passion.

The EP has spawned songs such as Street Life, Ms Goody Goody and In My Arms. He shot videos for the songs.

"The video shoots went well. We have some garrison scenes for Street Life and Ms Goody Goody, that are going to give those videos a gritty, authentic look. Hundreds of people rolled out to the video shoot. mi love how Jamaicans appreciate my music and what I am trying to do," he said.

N'Zye's songs are geared towards a seamier demographic. "Because of my image, my music leans towards a seductive image, because the girls dem love the look, but I have a wide range of songs that speak to issues such as child support, marriage, jealous ex-girlfriends, no topic is taboo for me," he said.

N'Zye has carved out a reputation in Canada for his high-energy stage performances. He has collaborated with artistes from all genres of music including reggae icon Junior Reid and hip hop artistes such as Legend and Jaheem Rich.

He grew up in Maxfield Avenue, St Andrew before migrating to Canada 20 years ago. There, he decided to do music under the monicker N'Zye.

"The 'N' was derived from a pet name given to me by my mother, Natty, so mi hyphenate the N, and add the 'zye' which came from my son's name, Zhyier," N'Zye said.

He credits Sizzla Kalonji, Professor Nuts and Vybz Kartel as his biggest influences.