TugStar

Artist Website

Howard “TugStar” Johnson was born in Maypen, Clarendon on September 20, 1985. Twenty-two years, he called rural Jamaica his home before moving to Jamaica´s capital city Kingston. Before he could make a real move to Jamaica´s capital city he used to sleep in studios since the drive to his hometown was too far away. As the youngest of three brothers his family socialized him from early on into the musical world. While his mother was a enthusiastic church goer who took him to choir from the tender age of 7, his father used to play on outdoor dance parties entertaining the local community. Especially his oldest brother was influential in pathing TugStar´s musical career. As a professional recording artist he introduced him to Jamaican Reggae´s musical diversity, while his second brother was also involved in the Dancehall genre. Inspired by the vibes and by his brothers recording skills he became a school DJ at the age of 12. There, he started to develop his entertaining skills organizing secret dance parties for friends and students.

As a teenager he began to record professionally at “Shack and Vibes”, where he recorded his first tune “Flowers in the Garden”. At age 17 he took on the name “Tuggy” as his recording name. The following years ultimately formed his talent and carved him as a true Dancehall artist, writing own tunes and also ghost writing over fifty hit songs for diverse, famous artists from Jamaica´s Dancehall and Reggae scene. His growing musical experience was crowned in 2005 when he won with only 19 years young the Guinness Ultimate DJ Championship (a format similar to the “Voice”) that brought him to great local success. After winning the ten weeks contest he got touring experience on all major Jamaican music festivals and signs to a UK-based Jamaican-run music production company (Dell Productions), where he worked for four years.

After gaining extensive experience in the different musical fields he made himself independent as recording artist and studio owner now based in Vancouver, Canada. His positive and jovial spirit made him not only a voice for those who struggle, but also a leader personality who uplifts people with positive message music in their everyday lives.