When Ponaflex (Reis van Putten) was invited to perform in this month’s Collie Buddz concert, his answer was a resounding “yes”.

“It was a no-brainer” the 30-year-old Bermudian soca singer said. “Collie Buddz is one of my idols.”

The Grammy-nominated Bermudian reggae star, Collie Buddz, was the man who inspired Ponaflex to pursue a career in music.

“I saw him at the Non-Mariner’s Raft-Up event when I was 14,“ Ponaflex said. “He performed on a barge. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, I want to do that, too’. I have been a big fan ever since. His song Come Around is legendary. Phone Call is another one of his big songs.”

The singer has met Collie Buddz several times at different concerts across the United States, and will perform at the latter’s Take It Easy Tour at Snorkel Park in Dockyard this month, alongside other local artists such as Pier, Mox and Ras Solomon.

“Everyone knows me as a soca artist, so I will be doing some slower songs,” Ponaflex said. “I will be singing some songs for the reggae dancehall crowd, such as Cyah Wait.”

He released Cyah Wait three months ago after filming the music video in Trinidad.

“That is doing pretty well considering I have not put any money behind marketing or advertising for it,” he said. “It is growing organically.“

The singer made another music video, Best Time, in Bermuda last summer, with some scenes filmed in Flatts outside the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo.

“The biggest challenge while making that was trying to get the right resources and people on board, and co-ordinating times and schedules,” he said. “I just wanted to capture the beauty of Bermuda as much as I could. I was doing everything. I represented myself. I produced the video and I directed it.”

The artist has yet to find the right person to represent him.

“I need someone who wants it as badly as I do,” he said. “I have not really found that yet.”

His goal has never been to be signed by a label.

“I always wanted to be an independent artist,” Ponaflex said. “I want that creative power over my work. I would not want a label having me do what they think is best for me. I would also not want a label to shelve me if they thought someone else was better. If you put in the work and are consistent and committed, you can achieve the same thing, independently.”

However, finding funding for his music projects has been challenging.

“It is very expensive,” he said.

He spends summers in Bermuda, but works full time in Miami, Florida, in the marketing department of a cosmetic dentistry business.

“We do veneers,” he said. “We work with a lot of celebrities and influencers. I funnel whatever I make right back into the music.”

Ponaflex recently performed in a concert in Miami with his friend, Klassik Frescobar, and also sang at Carnival in Bermuda and Trinidad.

“I go to Trinidad for several months out of the year,” he said. “That is where I record all my music. Trinidad has some of the most talented people in the world when it comes to making soca music. I love working with their producers. There is just a great vibe down there.”

His reputation in Bermuda received a boost when Digicel hired him to do some commercial work last year.

“They asked me to be an ambassador and do some content for them,” Ponaflex said. “This year, they asked if I could do a jingle for their 135th-year celebrations.”

The result was the song Proudly Bermudian featured in a Digicel commercial, played repeatedly on YouTube.

“People see me on the street and say, ‘You are the guy that is always on my television’,” he said. “The adults might be a little tired of seeing it, but the kids love it. To me, that is all that matters.”

After Proudly Bermudian debuted, he went on a tour of nine different local schools and found that students loved the song.

“They knew the song front to back,” he said. “That was really cool. Now I am trying to bridge people knowing my face and knowing my name.”

His hope is that the Collie Buddz concert raises his profile even more.

“Maybe people will see me and say, ‘That’s Ponaflex. Let me go find his music’,” he said. “It is the biggest concert that Bermuda has had in a while.”

Ponaflex has always been into music. When he was a child, his mother, Stacy van Putten, worked for local radio stations Hott 1075 and Power 95.

“I would go there after school,” he said. “I was allowed to go into the DJ booth. When they brought in artists, I got to meet them.”

He even did a voiceover for a Christmas commercial once.

“I have always wanted to be an entertainer or an athlete,” the singer said.

He played football and cricket while at school in Bermuda. Then, when he went to Boston, Massachusetts, for high school, he played American football and basketball.

The music won out.

“Being in the industry has its ups and downs,” Ponaflex said. “If you let the negative things, or the obstacles, stop you, then your dream is dead. They say you miss 100 per cent of the shots you never take.”

His ultimate dream is to become a well-known international artist.

“I want to represent Bermuda and the Caribbean as well,” he said.

• The Take it Easy concert will be held on July 31 at Snorkel Park in Dockyard at 8.30pm. Tickets range from $75 to $200 available onbdatix.bm. Drink tickets can be found atptix.bm