A blend of sweet, soulful lyrics, a captivating voice and a natural beauty that shines through her music have made the velvet-voiced Etana a force to be reckoned with in the world of soul reggae.
The native of Kingston, Jamaica, who is on a tour of the Caribbean to promote three hot new singles from her yet to be titled sophomore release – “August Town”, “Free” and “Happy Heart” – hopped over to Guyana on Wednesday last to meet local DJs, performers and various radio and television personalities.
The first stop in her promotional blitz was at the studios of Guyana’s premier entertainers HJTV Channel 72 where during a sit down with local media, she disclosed the inspiration behind her music and her target audience – young people, particularly women and girls.
The name Etana, which has replaced her birth name Shauna Mckenzie, connotes strength and dedication, two main things the artiste is set on promoting and instilling in women and girls in the Caribbean and around the world.
Her music is for the most part autobiographical and speaks to youth from depressed areas, women struggling in their personal and professional lives and the upliftment of young girls.
She credits her grandmother, now deceased, with making her who she is today and being the inspiration behind her music. Although she was not always a purveyor of the sweet soulful and positive vibes of reggae and what can be considered gospel, Etana is proud today to have moved away from what has become a much maligned form of music.
The singer, songwriter and guitarist credits the likes of reggae legend Bob Marley, Marcia Griffith, Sizzla Kalongi and R&B crooners like the indomitable Whitney Houston, Lauren Hill and Jill Scott with influencing her music.
She imparts that she is all about positive vibes and influencing women to be strong, and this is even more apparent in one of her new releases, “August Town”, which is also the name of her hometown. It tells a tale of a recent real life occurrence in the home community of the sultry Caribbean diva. Just one taste and the listener is hooked, the thought processes prodded and a fan is born. So potent is Etana’s appeal.
Etana’s music has what is considered in today’s music world to be “crossover appeal” and this has taken her to the stage in Johannesburg, South Africa this year and seen unforgettable performances at a slew of music festivals where she shared stages with the likes of Jamie Foxx and Robin Thicke among other noteworthy artistes from around the world. Since her rise in the reggae world, the songstress has had performances in the United States and elsewhere, where she said the reception was unbelievable and heart-warming.
Etana aims to create a balance and even a change with her music, and questioned about her ability to compete in a market with other reggae artistes with her lyrics, declares, “I’m not in competition with nobody… I write my lyrics for the children”.
She had a few choice words too for Caribbean women. Etana advises women to love themselves and love and respect where they come from because no one can take that away from them.
“Wrong Address”, one of the artiste’s most popular releases, addresses a pressing social issue in the Caribbean, which puts young people at a disadvantage based on their background and hometown. Etana disclosed that the song was inspired by an incident that happened to her aunt, who was turned down for a job because of where she came from.
Her music is an interesting and arresting blend of African culture, reggae and the Jamaican patois, paying homage to her roots, which she proudly sports with what she calls her “nappy hair”.
Etana’s efforts to invade the reggae culture took off last year when she debuted the album ‘The Strong One’, which won her several honours including Album of the Year at the International Reggae and World Music Awards this year in New York as well as the Excellence in Music and Entertainment Awards (EME) in Jamaica.
The Jamaican beauty aims to take her music higher with her new management team, Irish and Chin Incorporated, hence this intense promotional tour to promote her new vibes. Etana is also slated to produce music videos for each of the new singles.
Before departing the studios of HJTV for another sit down with DJs over at 98.1 FM, the chanteuse also met a number of local artistes including Jumo Primo, signed autographs and hand delivered samples of her work to fans who visited the studio to catch a glimpse of her and exclaim over her inspirational lyrics.
Proof positive of her effect on the Guyanese society, when the DJs at HJTV opened the phone lines to allow fans to speak with Etana, the airwaves were flooded. Fans were eager to know when the songstress would visit these shores to perform and she promised that it would be very soon.