Anthony B and Fia Unite on New Roots Single Big City

Fia's breakthrough single "Love Me" has crossed 42.5 million Spotify streams and roughly 30 million YouTube views since it broke through on the Hawaii reggae circuit. That kind of pull explains why Anthony B came calling, and why "Big City" is a more evenly matched pairing than most Anthony B collaborations on record.

The single landed on March 27, 2026, co-released on Born Fire Music and distributed through Ineffable Records, the indie label whose current roster runs from Protoje to Romain Virgo to Collie Buddz. It hit Bandcamp, Beatport, Juno Download (cat. CAT 1690888), and Deezer the same day, landing squarely in roots/reggae and lovers-rock programming brackets across specialist and mainstream platforms. Reggaeville posted it in their March 27 release roundup the day of release.

The record earns its title. "Big City" is built for metropolitan playlists, running at a slower tempo with an emphasis on melody and message, the kind of track that registers differently on a weekday commute than it does at an outdoor festival. Promotional copy on Riddim Stream framed it as being "about presence... for the voices that carry this music beyond borders," a description that fits both Anthony B's three decades of conscious messaging and Fia's documented ability to reach audiences well outside the Pacific Island regional circuit.

Fia (Fiavaai Esene) grew up in Nanakuli, Hawai'i, and is of Samoan descent. His island soul and reggae fusion style has earned him five Island Music Awards and roughly 101,000 Instagram followers. "Love Me" made him a household name in island reggae, and "Big City" is a clear step toward the global roots conversation. He is the featured vocalist here, and his harmonic presence alongside Anthony B's commanding delivery is precisely the cross-generational bridge the release is designed to build.

Anthony B, born Keith Anthony Blair on March 31, 1976, in Clark's Town, Trelawny Parish, Jamaica, got his start as a DJ with the local sound system Shaggy Hi-Power before cutting his debut single "The Living is Hard" on the Wizard label in 1993. His partnership with producer Richard Bell produced the defining records of the 1990s roots revival: "Fire Pon Rome," "Raid Di Barn," "Rumour," and "Repentance Time." His 2004 album Untouchable placed him alongside Wyclef Jean, Snoop Dogg, and Bone Crusher. He now draws approximately 832,200 monthly Spotify listeners and carries a discography exceeding 25 albums and 1,000 singles.

The city-reggae landscape where "Big City" is positioned to do the most work is active on multiple fronts. In London, Electric Brixton's "Legends of Roots Reggae" events and Boisdale of Canary Wharf's recurring "Giants of Lovers Rock" nights have demonstrated sustained metropolitan demand for melodically grounded, conscious reggae. New York's roots and lovers-rock communities have kept weekly programming alive for years; Los Angeles reggae lovers have built a parallel circuit of club nights and sound system sessions that tilts heavily toward this tempo and format. A roots/lovers-rock single with Anthony B's veteran credibility and Fia's streaming numbers sits at the exact intersection those bookers and DJs are looking for.

Anthony B came into 2026 off a 2024 live schedule that included Reggae Land, Reggae on the River, and City Splash. The recording activity behind "Big City" confirms the live momentum is matched in the studio. For Fia, stepping into an Ineffable Records release alongside an artist with more than three decades of roots credibility is the kind of placement that converts regional recognition into a global audience.