Ziggi, you were born in Rotterdam, but you spent most of your youth on a little island called Sint Eustatius. Can you tell us a little bit more about that place?
Ziggi:
"Sint Eustatius is the second smallest island in the Dutch Antilles. It's really tiny and there are only about 3500 people living there (Together with Saba and Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius belongs to the Leeward Islands, north of Venezuela and east of the Dominican Republic. Its capital is called Oranjestad, red.)"

Do you still travel there once ever so often?
Ziggi:
"Yeah man! My grandparents still live there, as does my father and several other members of the family. The last time I travelled there was about a year ago."

It's not unusual for reggae musicians to be given a nickname or stage name by their peers or fans, but you got yours from your grandmother (Ziggi's birth name is Ricardo Blijden, red.).
Ziggi:
"Back in the day I never thought to ask her why she started calling me like that and now that she's passed on, I guess it will remain a mystery forever. Jah knows why, though, and in the mean time it has become more than my stage name. I regard it as my real name now, because just about everyone calls me by that name."

Like is the case for many Jamaican artists, you also learned to sing in church. At which point did you start considering turning it into a career?
Ziggi:
"That happened much later. When I turned eighteen, I came to Holland to continue my studies. I played a little basketball at that time, but music wasn't really my cup of tea. Through friends who were already involved in the music business, I gradually got caught up in what they were doing. In the beginning I just did a little toasting and that way I eventually ended up in a recording studio. That studio was called Rock'N Vibes, which is still my record company today, and there I met Mr. Rude (Berteaut Fleming, red.), who immediately saw potential in what I was doing. It was only when my first single was released that it dawned on me things were really getting serious. I told myself there and then: "Hey, if I keep it together, this might well work out!""

I just mentioned you learned to sing in church, so you were raised in the Christian tradition. The step from reggae to Rasta is often quite small. Would you say you're influenced by Rastafarianism?
Ziggi:
"I think so, yes. There are Rastafarian elements in the way I live my life. I was raised by my grandmother, who was a member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and for a while, I've lived with my mother, who was a Jehovah's Witness. Through reggae I then discovered Rastafarianism. From all these influences I drew my own conclusions. I'm convinced there's a higher power out there, but personally I don't feel the need to name it Jah, Jehovah or Buddha."

You're into reggae as well as dancehall. What's your take on the often violent or excessively sexual dancehall that's being produced in Jamaica these days?
Ziggi:
"Well, it is what it is, you know. I don't do lyrics like that, because I wasn't raised that way. I don't live in the ghetto, so it's not really my vibe. Should I be doing it anyway, then I would be pretending or even lying. For them, it's their life, though, and the music industry loves to promote those kind of tunes because they bring in a lot of revenue. One the one hand, it's a shame youths are bombarded with these kind of lyrics, but on the other, it's an illustration of the lives and reality of these artists, so it's difficult to turn it into a simple good versus bad discussion."

The title of your latest album is 'In Transit'. In an airport, the transit zone is a sort of no-man's-land, allowing travelers to go in any direction they want to. Why did you choose that title exactly?
Ziggi:
"When I was recording this album, I really felt I was in transit. When my first album ('So Much Reasons', red.) was released, I had only just started out in the music business and to be honest it was really nothing more than a collection of the singles I'd put out previously. For ‘In Transit' I went in search of the direction I wanted to follow in the future."

You just signed a distribution deal with the renowned Greensleeves label. How did that come about?
Ziggi:
"My manager was already in touch with them for some time. Greensleeves merged with VP Records at one point and the Americans, interested in getting a grip on the European market, went in search of a European artist they could promote. That eventually turned out to be me."

Reggae is Jamaica and Jamaica is reggae. Do you have any plans to record or perform there?
Ziggi:
"‘Need To Tell You This' got some airplay over there, that much I know. When I recently bumped into Queen Ifrica, she spontaneously started singing the tune! (laughs) But apart from that, I haven't got any real plans to go and record or perform there. I'm in close contact with a number of Jamaican producers and they send me everything I need."