Without a doubt, Steven “Lenky” Marsden, is one of the most accomplished & influential dancehall producers in the reggae music industry. Among his many accolades, he boasts the major achievement of three songs making Billboards Top 20 with the ultimate prize of Sean Paul’s “Get Busy” holding the coveted #1 position for three weeks! A Billboard nomination in the category of “the hot one hundred producers of the year” along with noted producers R. Kelly, The Neptunes and Timberland. He is the winner of the ASCAP/PRS award in 2003 for Song and Songwriter of the Year. To date, he is still the only producer to have had several top 20 songs on a single riddim. Steven Marsden or Lenky as he is more popularly known, revolutionized the sound of dancehall music propelling it into the worlds consciousness, making him one of the most sought after producer, arranger & writers, not only in the Dancehall arena but in Hip Hop and the R&B world as well.

In his formative years, Lenky was always around music given that members’ of his family particularly his grandmother were highly proficient piano and violin players. It was only natural that he gravitated to music and at age thirteen he choose to play the piano. In the latter years, growing up in the Jamaican inner city area of Dunkirk, music was his only solace and he rehearsed religiously in an effort to be a skilled musician.

He got his first break in the music business five years later when he was recommended by fellow musician Sheldon Bernard to be one of the members for the backing band for the 1988 Tastee Talent Show. Malory Williams was impressed with the teenager’s ability to quickly recite his given tasks and would later recommend the youngster to Lloyd Parks.

Hopton Hibberts, son of Toots Hibbert, also saw the potential in the young musician and encouraged him to move to the North Coast. Lenky was able to sharpen his skills as a musician through rigorous nightly gigs on the hotel circuit. He played with different bands including “Ninja Force” and “3 Tee”. These gigs called for him to master the different genres of music, reggae, R& B, Jazz, disco etc.

In 1992 Lenky left the North Coast after being asked to tour with Rita Marley’s Mackabee Band for his first major tour. An ardent admirer of the Mackabee band he was humbled to be asked to play with the veterans. It was the break the young Musician needed to fully immerse himself into the reggae music industry. After his return, he was called upon to play with the Lloyd Parks and We the People band. He was now touring with the stalwarts of the reggae industry like Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Sugar Minott, John Holt, Alton Ellis, Bob Andy to name a few. Although he felt accomplished in his new role with the Lloyd Parks and We the people band, he still felt a need to expand on his abilities. The up and coming band Blood Fire Posse was steadily making waves with a new sound geared towards teenagers. Lenky thought it was the perfect vehicle to further enhance his talent and would play on and off with the band

A budding musician, Lenky left “Lloyd Parks and we the people” band in 1995 to play full time with the Blood Fire Posse. However; Lenky did not want to settle into the role of tour musician so when the opportunity arose to work with Blood Fire Posse’s band mate Danny Browne as a studio musician, he saw it as a chance to learn more about the production side of the music. He had his first taste of success with Garnett Silk’s “Oh me, Oh my”, credited with playing the keyboards. Now being recognized as a skilled musician, his talent was now being sought for both studio and stage.

The nineties solidified Lenky as an established Musician working with the top producers and artists such as Sly and Robbie, Patrick Roberts, Danny Browne, King Jammys, Bobby Digital, Donovan Germain, Tony and Dave Kelly. Richie Stephens, Bounty Killer, Beenie Man etc. Churning out hits like “Everyone Falls in Love” (Tanto Metro & Devonte) “Dancehall Queen” (Beanie Man and Chevelle Franklin), “Maniac” (Richie Stephens and Bounty Killer). Sly and Robbie were impressed with Lenky’s talent after hearing his keyboard mastery in the hit single “Maniac” and thought him a perfect fit for the “Taxi Gang”. He has been on countless studio sessions and tours with them and it’s a relationship that is maintained to this day.

In 1996, Buju Banton was on the hunt for a new keyboard player, Donovan Germain asked Dean Fraser to suggest one of the best and Lenky was recommended for the position in Buju Banton’s “‘Til Shiloh” band. The demands of Buju Banton’s schedule kept Lenky busy, touring a myriad of countries including Africa, Israel, North and South America and Europe exposing him to various cultures and their music which influenced his style. However, the demands of touring did not deter the young musician from pursuing other goals. With his many years of experience in the Jamaican Music industry, he had the requisite experience to take on the role of Music Producer. To that end, he formed the label” Mastermind 2.5” The young producer, sought to provide an avenue for young upcoming artists like Assasin and Zumjay who were not being given the break by the more established producers He also recorded artists like Sean Paul, General Degree, T.O.K, Delly Ranks and others.

With a growing record label, Lenky sought to acquire his own home studio. Sparing no expenses, he surrounded himself with only the latest and best equipment available on the market. He would spend hours in his “Area 39” basement studio, researching and experimenting with different beats and sounds until he created the hit riddim “Diwali”. It is an up tempo, infectious rhythm that is characterized by syncopated clapping influenced by music of India hence the name “Diwali”.

Upon hearing the riddim, Gerald Belnavis professed it to be a hit and offered to distribute it through his newly formed All Access Distribution Company. Belnavis thought it best for Lenky to start a new label, thus the 40/40 label was created. The success of the riddim saw many of the local dancehall acts requesting to record on this production. The release of the Diwali riddim lead to billboards hits such Sean Paul’s “Get Busy” (#1), Wayne Wonder’s “No Letting Go” (#11) and Lumidee’s “Never Leave You” ( #2) . Locally, the rhythm produced hits such as,“ "Overcome,” “Elephant Message,” “Sufferer,” “Party Time,” and “Love is wicked.” The riddim set precedence across the globe and is arguable one of the most prominent Dancehall riddims of 2002 and beyond, making Lenky one of the most significant music producer, writer and arrangers in the music industry.
In recent years, international producers and artists such as Timberland, Busta Rhymes, Black Eyed Peas Neyo and Rihanna have been influenced by the Diwali riddim.

The years that followed the release of the Diwali riddim saw Lenky finally reaping the benefits of his many years toiling in the music industry; one such benefit was being signed to EMI publishing. These accomplishments shone the spotlight on Lenky and by extension Jamaica. While his accolades are too many to mention, it has to be pointed out that he’s had the enviable opportunity to work with some of the heavyweights of the U.S. music industry, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, Timberland, Cam’ron, Neneh Cherry, Estelle, Heather Headley plus others. He has done remixes for the Late Michael Jackson, Brittney Spears, Janet Jackson, Ron Isley, Smashmouth, to name just a few. His work has been used in reality and TV shows, featured in the movie “Freedom Writers” and is the thriving music behind the Vauxhall Opal Campaign.

Further credits includes his frequent collaborations with “Sly and Robbie” including Grammy nominated albums, their more recent being the 2011 “One Pop Reggae”. He was also on the production teams of Buju Banton’s Grammy nominated albums and of course Sean Paul’s Grammy nominated album which included Billboards number one hit “Get Busy”.

An ardent lover of the dancehall genre, Lenky’s love of music drives him to perfection on a daily basis. He is a disciplined professional and even though he has reached a desirable peak in the music industry, he still rehearses his craft on a daily basis to maintain a high standard. He now works out of his new state of the art studio maintaining the “Area 39” name.

With the launch of “Diwali Records”, Lenky again embarks on a new venture to create a roster of new and talented artists and musicians from Jamaica and across the world.