Dancehall icon Sean Paul was forced to abruptly exit a live interview with Vice Documentaries’ Dan Zabludovsky after Jamaica was rocked with a 5.4 magnitude earthquake on Monday. The unexpected tremors near Kingston caused a momentary pause in the midst of their conversation.
The unexpected onset of the earthquake caused Paul’s camera to shake, and the room trembled visibly. The Grammy-winning artist reacted with an exclamation of “Oh s—, we’re having an earthquake,” and quickly rose from his chair in his home recording studio before the call was abruptly disconnected.
Paul promptly exited the frame, leaving viewers in suspense. While no significant damage was reported, the quake forced people to evacuate buildings, and it caused power outages in the vicinity. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness urged the citizens to remain calm, as they take precautions to protect life and property. According to him, the damage has not been devastating, as reported by WBLS.
Reflecting on the earthquake, Paul said that he had experienced similar tremors since childhood in Jamaica. He noted that while it wasn’t the most powerful he had felt, its duration surprised him.
To stay safe, the Temperature singer said he followed his instinct and swiftly sought refuge in a door jamb, pointing out that he did not want to take any chances.
But, prior to ending the interview abruptly, he was part of a panel discussing the details of his 2022 Vice documentary about the story behind his song “Get Busy.”
In the documentary, the artist revealed that he doesn’t actually say his own name in the introductions of many of his songs, contrary to popular belief. Instead, he references Guyanese cricket player Shivnarine Chanderpaul, which inspired his stage name “Sean Paul.”
The documentary explained that the name “Sean da Paul” emerged due to the similarity in pronunciation with the famous cricketer’s name.
