Fans 'can't compute' what they are hearing after Shaggy reveals his real voice

There are some artists out there that many know better for their sound rather than by their name or look.

And one of very distinctive voice has to be Mr Boombastic himself, Shaggy.

The Jamaican musician has been on the scene since the 90s and you’ll certainly know him for the absolute classic ‘It Wasn’t Me’.

The 55-year-old is also the reggae star behind the likes of ‘Oh Carolina’ and ‘Angel’.

But fans admitted absolutely ‘can’t compute’ what they were hearing in a video of Shaggy ‘revealing’ his real voice.

In a video on his TikTok, Shaggy shared a clip of him discussing how he got that ‘signature voice’.

Any music fan will practically be able to hear ‘Mister Lover’ in that deep, deep voice without even having to hear ‘Boombastic’ playing.

But Shaggy admitted he actually picked that voice up ‘by mocking drill instructors in the military’.

Real name Orville Richard Burrell CD, he moved to New York City when he was 18 and in the late 80s, enlisted in the US Marine Corps.

He explained (while mimicking the voice): “In the Marines the drill instructors would go ‘yeah boy drop and give it 20, let’s go boy’.

“I just sang that song in that voice because it sounded cool.”

Shaggy added that he ended up having to use this voice in his other songs as it became so popular - different than what can be heard in earlier hits.

And users on Reddit were so amazed by his ‘government voice’ compared to in his music that it’s ‘like finding out Santa isn’t real’.

One wrote: “I'm not exaggerating or anything, but this is a serious flabbergasted moment for me. I lived my entire life thinking this man was Jamaican and Mr. Lova Lova was his natural accent.

“Why is he talking like good ol' regular Frank in the video? I legit can't compute lol.”

Another even put: “EXCUSE ME! MY WHOLE CHILDHOOD WAS A LIE!”

Many users say they’re totally ‘shocked’ as one said they’re ‘so glad’ he decided to use it as his style.

“It's so fun and distinct like you just KNOW it's him in a song,” they added.

But some simply aren’t allowing it, with one writing: “I'm sorry, I refuse to accept this piece of knowledge. I will be deleting this video from my memory bank. Disabling notifications for this comment. I will be moving forward with my life under the belief that life is one big party when you're still young, and Shaggy’s singing voice will have my back when it's all gone.”

Featured Image Credit: TikTok/direalshaggy/Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images

Topics: Celebrity, Music, TikTok

Jess Battison

Jess is an Entertainment Journalist with a love of all things pop culture. Her main interests include keeping up with the Twitter girlies, waiting for a new series of The Traitors and losing her voice at a Beyoncé concert. She graduated with a first in Journalism from City, University of London in 2021 and has previously worked at MyLondon.

@jessbattison_