An hypnotic wave of calm crept across The Fonda Theatre, Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. It’s April 1 and marked the final night of Jah9’s appearance on Chronixx’s Chronology North America Tour, and the sea of anonymous figures quiver with animated chatter. The commanding calls of a horn section belted from nearby speakers as Jah9 feathered her way centre stage. Gliding through singles New Name, Humble Mi, The Marijuana, Avocado, Unafraid and Steamers A Bubble, it was as if she was peeling back the layers of an emotional diary drenched with subliminal messages. The crowd stood in awe of her as she flashed her signature smile.
Riddled with a dégagé attire perfectly coupled with a relaxed personality, Janine Cunningham’s journey to becoming one of Jamaica’s most compelling vocal leaders started in the heart of Falmouth, Trelawny.
“My childhood days were filled with joy and laughter,” Jah9 opens up, sitting upright in her seat with a glimmer in her eyes. “My father was a pastor at the William Knibb Baptist Church, while my mother was a server of the community at the Skills Development Centre- this was in the early 1980’s. But to be honest, growing up I had no intentions of becoming an artiste,” she confessed.
Honing her writing prowess as early as 8 years old, she expanded her imagination through in-depth readings while sharing her vocal strengths through choir hymns. In a sense, the church played the role of her social environment as she laid the bricks of her personal home on the foundation of creative writing. As the family moved to the hustle and bustle of Kingston’s persona, Jah9 found herself cocooned in a world of familiarities and differences. “Shortly after moving to Kingston I lost my brother to leukemia,” and this spiraled Jah9 into a whirlwind of self-awareness and appreciation of the universe.
Moments of Truth
Her teenage years saw her stepping out of her comfort zone and entering a myriad of competitions which led to her traveling the Caribbean to vocally perform her pieces. And though her interactions with Reggae and Dancehall were kept to a minimum, there was always a spiritual connection to Afrocentrism breathing within her. “Rastafarianism was always pulsating within my veins and stood as a continuous journey,” Jah9 expressed while unconsciously playing with the ends of her locs. “The funny things is, my dad was known as the Rasta Pastor in Mandeville while he lived there and I didn’t even find this out until a few years ago,” she chuckled. “I think the main reason he didn’t delve more into the Rastafarian faith was because of the limited information at the time but of course as I got older a sense of more awakening took place for me.”
It was a little overwhelming the first time I did a freestyle over an instrumental dub piece playing through Gabre’s system. Even then I was still performing as Janine
To Read More: Purchase your copy of Volume 9 #2 – May – June 2017