For over a decade, her silken voice has empowered the down-trodden, invigorating them all with the same message: never apologise for who you are; never surrender your dreams and most importantly never give up. Indeed, her songs have inspired listeners of all ages to believe in the strength of their dreams, which is why she holds a special place in the hearts of her fans.
However, it has not all been smooth sailing for ‘the strong one.’ In recent years, her fiery reputation as a musical champion was doused due to unpopular comments made. The man on the street had plenty to say and even questioned where her loyalties lie. Through it all she took her blows, directing her musical ship through uncharted waters, earning her reputation as ‘the strong one.
“Whatever I’m going through, I’m going through for a reason, whether it is to strengthen me mentally or mould me into a more resilient person.”
BUZZZ Magazine recently caught up with the artiste who was on tour in the U.S. She spoke about her career, her children, her challenges and life lessons learnt. When asked to describe the woman in the mirror, Etana declared that she is rootsy, “I am happy, positive, caring, loyal and kind.” Her favourite colour is yellow and is fitting as it reflects her bright and cheerful personality. “It reminds me of sunshine and happiness. I also like blue and green but yellow really does it for me.”
During our chat we were able to identify two of her favourite hits from her repertoire, ‘I’m Not Afraid’ and ‘I Rise’. “With ‘I Rise’, I was in Stephen Marley’s studio and I looked up at the lion he had on the wall and thought of my own strength and that’s how it started. Whatever I’m going through, I’m going through for a reason, whether it be to strengthen me mentally or mould me into a more resilient person.
With ‘I am Not Afraid’, I was going through a lot with management changes and people telling me how to look, how to speak, how to dress, to act etc. All the lyrics in the song have a meaning and when it comes down to it, I am not afraid to walk away or to face my fears.”Music she revealed, has been a part of her socialisation from an early age. She recalls her grandmother insisting that she go to church, this is where her need to sing was developed. “I never really sang until I got to Fort Lauderdale and then I sang on a choir in middle school but my very first time singing in public was at Harbour View Primary School, that’s where it all began.”
For Etana staying motivated is easy as she focuses solely on what is important. “I let go of the things I can’t control. It’s just that simple. I think happy thoughts and about my two little girls, that always brings a huge smile to my face.”
How does she stay focused when singing on stage before an audience? “I smile and act as if it’s not happening. I remember a time at Sting when everything went black on stage. I quickly called over the two backup singers and started singing to the people at the front then like a ripple effect it spread to the middle of the crowd and then further, and soon everybody started singing ‘I’m Not Afraid’. When I got off stage, everyone was like girl, only you could have pulled that off cause Sting crowd ain’t easy!”
Handling large crowds and unruly fans come with the territory for any artiste, and for a female, it can be challenging. “Funny enough, I went to a show in Dominica and was coming out of the dressing room, the door opens out into the hallway and a female fan planted her lips right on mine. I was so shocked, for about 5 minutes my mouth was like wide open because I didn’t know what to say. Then management stepped in and whisked me away. With the male fans, their hands will ‘drift’ to your bottom and you have to pull it back up. I remember a guy who acted like he tripped and fell but his hand landed full palm down on my breast. Well, he got a proper slap, he was like, ‘huh?
Her fans will be happy to learn that she recently completed her fifth album entitled ‘Reggae Forever’ and is excited to share this with the world. “This time I paid for it all, chose writers, producers, vocalists and even got Tanya Stephens to do a song, so it’s girl power all the way. It was hard work but it is all worth it to know I own my work. The album was produced by TADS Records “who I find to be the easiest company to work with.
“If we unite nothing can stop POWER OR PURPOSE.”
Her tour started early February in California and will cover 34 shows coming full circle in California early April.
So how does she manage the many hats that she wears as a wife, mother, and artiste? “I used to say I ‘just do it’, like Nike, but seriously I have no choice but to do it. My children know this is what mommy does. My mother is instrumental in making it all work as she is with the girls and sometimes my aunt as well so they have two mature women surrounding them plus daddy. But when I’m home, I’m all in with the activities and on full mommy duty.”
Being a female artiste in a male-dominated industry comes with its own set of trials. “It is difficult for a lot of reasons. I remember when I first started my then manager said, ‘we are gonna change the way people treat women when they see how we treat you like royalty.’ I would have thirty men walk with me, escort me, hold my hand up and down the stairs of the stage, pass me my guitar etc. You weren’t allowed to address me or talk to me. This was in the early days. One of the hardest things for me coming up to 2018, is that they don’t allow females to take her own band with her when she plays on a big show. They say ‘work with someone else’s band’ but they wouldn’t automatically say that to a male artiste. Also, no matter how big a hit maker you are, as a female, once they have three or four males on the show’s line-up, you are gonna get paid less than the men. It is the same in the corporate world so it’s a struggle for women across the board.”
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For over a decade, her silken voice has empowered the down-trodden, invigorating them all with the same message: never apologise for who you are; never surrender your dreams and most importantly never give up. Indeed, her songs have inspired listeners of all ages to believe in the strength of their dreams, which is why she holds a special place in the hearts of her fans.
However, it has not all been smooth sailing for ‘the strong one.’ In recent years, her fiery reputation as a musical champion was doused due to unpopular comments made. The man on the street had plenty to say and even questioned where her loyalties lie. Through it all she took her blows, directing her musical ship through uncharted waters, earning her reputation as ‘the strong one.
BUZZZ Magazine recently caught up with the artiste who was on tour in the U.S. She spoke about her career, her children, her challenges and life lessons learnt. When asked to describe the woman in the mirror, Etana declared that she is rootsy, “I am happy, positive, caring, loyal and kind.” Her favourite colour is yellow and is fitting as it reflects her bright and cheerful personality. “It reminds me of sunshine and happiness. I also like blue and green but yellow really does it for me.”
During our chat we were able to identify two of her favourite hits from her repertoire, ‘I’m Not Afraid’ and ‘I Rise’. “With ‘I Rise’, I was in Stephen Marley’s studio and I looked up at the lion he had on the wall and thought of my own strength and that’s how it started. Whatever I’m going through, I’m going through for a reason, whether it be to strengthen me mentally or mould me into a more resilient person.
With ‘I am Not Afraid’, I was going through a lot with management changes and people telling me how to look, how to speak, how to dress, to act etc. All the lyrics in the song have a meaning and when it comes down to it, I am not afraid to walk away or to face my fears.”Music she revealed, has been a part of her socialisation from an early age. She recalls her grandmother insisting that she go to church, this is where her need to sing was developed. “I never really sang until I got to Fort Lauderdale and then I sang on a choir in middle school but my very first time singing in public was at Harbour View Primary School, that’s where it all began.”
For Etana staying motivated is easy as she focuses solely on what is important. “I let go of the things I can’t control. It’s just that simple. I think happy thoughts and about my two little girls, that always brings a huge smile to my face.”
How does she stay focused when singing on stage before an audience? “I smile and act as if it’s not happening. I remember a time at Sting when everything went black on stage. I quickly called over the two backup singers and started singing to the people at the front then like a ripple effect it spread to the middle of the crowd and then further, and soon everybody started singing ‘I’m Not Afraid’. When I got off stage, everyone was like girl, only you could have pulled that off cause Sting crowd ain’t easy!”
Handling large crowds and unruly fans come with the territory for any artiste, and for a female, it can be challenging. “Funny enough, I went to a show in Dominica and was coming out of the dressing room, the door opens out into the hallway and a female fan planted her lips right on mine. I was so shocked, for about 5 minutes my mouth was like wide open because I didn’t know what to say. Then management stepped in and whisked me away. With the male fans, their hands will ‘drift’ to your bottom and you have to pull it back up. I remember a guy who acted like he tripped and fell but his hand landed full palm down on my breast. Well, he got a proper slap, he was like, ‘huh?
Her fans will be happy to learn that she recently completed her fifth album entitled ‘Reggae Forever’ and is excited to share this with the world. “This time I paid for it all, chose writers, producers, vocalists and even got Tanya Stephens to do a song, so it’s girl power all the way. It was hard work but it is all worth it to know I own my work. The album was produced by TADS Records “who I find to be the easiest company to work with.
Her tour started early February in California and will cover 34 shows coming full circle in California early April.
So how does she manage the many hats that she wears as a wife, mother, and artiste? “I used to say I ‘just do it’, like Nike, but seriously I have no choice but to do it. My children know this is what mommy does. My mother is instrumental in making it all work as she is with the girls and sometimes my aunt as well so they have two mature women surrounding them plus daddy. But when I’m home, I’m all in with the activities and on full mommy duty.”
Being a female artiste in a male-dominated industry comes with its own set of trials. “It is difficult for a lot of reasons. I remember when I first started my then manager said, ‘we are gonna change the way people treat women when they see how we treat you like royalty.’ I would have thirty men walk with me, escort me, hold my hand up and down the stairs of the stage, pass me my guitar etc. You weren’t allowed to address me or talk to me. This was in the early days. One of the hardest things for me coming up to 2018, is that they don’t allow females to take her own band with her when she plays on a big show. They say ‘work with someone else’s band’ but they wouldn’t automatically say that to a male artiste. Also, no matter how big a hit maker you are, as a female, once they have three or four males on the show’s line-up, you are gonna get paid less than the men. It is the same in the corporate world so it’s a struggle for women across the board.”
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