“I haven’t drunk alcohol, I haven’t smoked before,” award-winning singer Epixode has revealed.

“I’ve never tried it before,” he emphasised to Nana Romeo on Okay FM, taking off his glasses to demonstrate his seriousness and honesty.

He said the choice stemmed from “an individual decision to stay good,” no matter the temptations he encountered. Helping his resolve, he added, was being “fortunate” to have been exposed very early in life, given his parents’ jobs.

He said his mother was on tour as a musician when he was only a toddler.

“I’m not saying I was a spoiled rotten but at least, home was good. My father, too, worked in a bank,” he added, noting the importance of a two-parent home, and the advantages of good parenting, which had shaped and helped him resist peer pressure and deviance.

“I only had my tattoos like two years ago,” Epixode said. “I didn’t have my piercings, I didn’t have tattoos, nothing.”

“It’s not that I can’t do these, but growing up, I wanted to be different,” he explained further.

He debunked the assertion drugs enhanced creativity, especially in music. To support his point, he lightheartedly asked if Gospel acts used hard drugs to help their creative process.

He challenged the stereotype that Reggae/Dancehall acts had to take to smoking and drinking.

“I stand to be corrected [but] Lucky Dube [did] not smoke or drink [for inspiration],” he cited.

“I come from a music home [and that explains my gift]. I don’t think you need to depend on something [detrimental].

Additionally, he noted, “I think there’s a sweet side to Reggae and Dancehall. The likes of Sean Paul, Konshens, Beenie Man – there’s a sweet side. It’s not always about violence, bravado, or gangsters.”