hiː ɹᵻkˈoːɹdᵻd hɪz fˈɜːst twˈɛlvˈɪntʃ sˈɪŋɡəl "bˈɔːɹn təbi fɹˈiː" ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi sˈɪks, wˌɪtʃ sˈoʊld ˌoʊvɚ fˈaɪv,zˈiəɹoʊzˈiəɹoʊ zˈiəɹoʊ kˈɑːpɪz ɪn sənt. mˈɑːɹʔn̩ ðɪ ˈaɪləndz bˈɪɡɪst ˈɛvɚ sˈɛlɪŋ sˈɪŋɡəl, ænd fˈɑːloʊd ɪt wɪððɪ ˌiːpˈiː bˈæbɪlən ɪz fˈɔːlɪŋ ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti.
He recorded his first 12-inch single "Born to Be Free" in 1986, which sold over 5,000 copies in St. Maarten (the island's biggest ever selling single), and followed it with the EP Babylon is Falling in 1990.