Shaggy reveals what his 'real voice' sounds like and people are shocked

They say that you learn something new everyday, and Shaggy's real voice is today's unexpected lesson.

The Jamaica-born musician is known for his deep, husky voice and thick Jamaican accent, but it turns out Shaggy has been deceiving us all along.

Best known for hits like 'Boombastic', 'Angel' and 'It Wasn't Me', the singer - real name Orville Richard Burrell CD - sounds nothing like his apparent music persona in real life.

Despite being in the music business for decades, some people (myself included) are only just learning what the 55-year-old actually sounds like.

In a video doing the rounds on TikTok, Shaggy explains where the inspiration for his unique sounding voice that he puts on came from.

"I got this voice by mocking drill instructors in the military," he explained in the now-viral clip shared on his TikTok page.

"In the Marines, the drill instructors would go 'yeah boy, just drop and gimme' 20, let's go boy', and I would mock him as a form of joking because, you know, it motivated your platoon."

As to why Shaggy sings in that voice, it's simply because he thought it sounded good.

He said: "I just sang in that voice because it sounded cool, and all of a sudden 'Oh Carolina' blew up and now I'm faced with the situation that I'm gonna sing every song like that."

People have since shared their shock after learning what the reggae singer really sounds like.

"Damn Shaggy really said 'It wasn’t me'," someone wrote on TikTok.

A second added: "HOLD UP!!! Shaggy DOESN'T HAVE AN ACCENT."

"Not Shaggy gas lighting us all these years," a different person joked.

Someone else questioned: "So we all just hearing shaggy real voice for the first time?"

"Shaggy sounding like a regular dude before GTA is crazy," wrote another surprised individual.

Others were shocked to find out that Shaggy had once served in the Marines.

The singer enlisted at the age of 18 in 1988 and went on to be deployed Kuwait two years later as part of the Field Artillery Battery in the 10th Marine Regiment during the Persian Gulf War.

He's thought to have left the Marines in 1992, a year before the release of his debut track, 'Oh Carolina'.

"I was today years old when I found out Shaggy is a Marine," one TikToker said.

Well... there you have it, folks.

Topics: Military, Music, TikTok, Celebrity

Niamh Shackleton

Niamh Shackleton is an experienced journalist for UNILAD, specialising in topics including mental health and showbiz, as well as anything Henry Cavill and cat related. She has previously worked for OK! Magazine, Caters and Kennedy.

@niamhshackleton