Etana

The reggae-soul diva

Etana … empowering. Photograph: Vallery Jean/FilmMagicShauna McKenzie, 29, decided to call herself Etana while leafing through a book of African names because it means “the strong one” (plus it rhymes with Shauna). Her introduction as a reggae performer came as a backing singer for the Rasta artist Richie Spice.

The born-again Christian has gone on to carve out a successful solo career, recording the empowering likes of I Am Not Afraid and People Talk, as well as Wrong Address, on which she addresses social inequality. There is also the lovers rock classic Blessings, which features the Sicilian-born reggae star Alborosie (testimony to reggae’s pervasive global influence). Drawing on influences including Erykah Badu, India.Arie and Corrine Bailey Rae, she’s shaping what she dubs a “reggae-soul” sound.

Popcaan

The rave king

Watch Ravin’ by Popcaan.”Wha’ gwaan’ Popcaan?” was the phrase on everyone’s lips after it was used to introduce Vybz Kartel‘s huge hit Clarks (a tribute to the British make of shoes) in 2010; following Kartel’s incarceration on successive murder charges, his young accomplice Andre “Popcaan” Sutherland is undoubtedly dancehall’s main attraction now. Last year, summer anthemRavin’ was the first of a string of smashes for the 23-year-old with the adolescent vocal style and gift for melody. Party Shot is nearing 3m views on YouTube, Only Man She Want made it on to the Billboard R&B charts (there’s also a remix with Busta Rhymes) and even Canadian hip-hop superstar Drake is a fan.

 

Romain Virgo

Voice of the struggle

Romain Virgo … already feted in Europe. Photograph: Steve Mack/Getty ImagesA winner of Jamaican TV’s Rising Stars (the equivalent of The X Factor), Virgo found himself playing shows in Europe in the wake of his 2010 debut album. The 22-year-old from St Ann parish has found his niche with songs such as Who Feels It Knows, which addresses life on the minimum wage, I Know Better, which discusses a refusal to adopt a life of crime and I Am Rich In Love, which contains the revelation that the singer may not have much money but he does have a lot of love to offer an uptown girl.

With production from Shane Brown, grandnephew of the celebrated soundsystem pioneer Duke Reid, Virgo, and also caters to fans of lovers rock – witness his cover of Adele’s Don’t You Remember.

Konshens

The adaptable singjay

Konshens: big in Japan.Feted in Japan (a huge reggae market), Garfield Spence – AKA Konshens – appeared on the radar of Jamaican dancehall fans with the bleakly controversial Winner in 2008. Since then, the Kingston native has represented for the rude boys with hits such as Do Sum’n and produced up-front party anthems including Gal a Bubble.

Tarrus Riley

The righteous Rastafarian

Tarrus Riley … socially conscious. Photograph: WireImageProbably your favourite reggae singer’s favourite reggae singer, “singy-singy” Riley has said that his mission is to “preserve our culture” – meaning reggae and the philosophies of Marcus Garvey adopted by Rastafarians. Born in the Bronx in New York and raised in Florida andJamaica, he is the son of Jimmy Riley, a celebrated singer from the 70s and 80s. Socially conscious songs such as Getty Getty, No Wantee andStart a New aren’t your average soppy ballads: rather, both encourage women to stand up for themselves and to walk out on abusive partners. But while the 33-year-old has been pitted as an antidote to the less politically correct likes of Vybz Kartel and Mavado, he still can pound out his message on dancehall riddims.

The recipient of several awards in Jamaica, including “most admired song in the past 15 years” for She’s Royal, Riley has also produced some stirring cover versions. Check out his versions of John Legend’s Stay With You and Michael Jackson’s Human Nature.

Protoje

A natty dread

Protoje: the new Damian Marley? Photograph: Noel-Andrew BennettDreadlocked newcomer – born Oje Ken Ollivierre, from the parish of St Elizabeth – who represents new-age reggae with a dub foundation. The son of 70s singer Lorna Bennett, the 21-year-old has been likened to Damian “Junior Gong” Marley, whose half-brother Ky-Mani features on his hit Rasta Love (the story of an uptown woman’s struggle to tell her father that she loves a Rasta). His debut album, The Seven Year Itch, produced by his cousin (and Grammy award winnner) Don Corleon, has been critically acclaimed and features the likes of No Lipstick, a paean to a woman who loves herb.

Mavado

The “gully god”

Mavado … controversial. Photograph: Cindy Ord/Getty ImagesBursting on to the scene in the middle of the last decade, David Constantine Brooks – AKA Mavado (that name adapted from a make of Swiss watches) – has been a controversial figure ever since. Raised in “the gullyside” in Kingston, he painted a series of vivid images of life in the ghetto on a string of hits and the album Gangsta for Life. Success – notwithstanding criticism, including allegations of glamorising violence – has meant that the 31-year-old now lives in a mansion in the hills. With that change has come a lighter style, demonstrated by the likes of Settle Down, and he is signed to hip-hop label We the Best/Young Money Cash Money.

Natalie Storm

XXX-rated

Natalie Storm: ‘I like to talk about risque stuff.’Female dancehall artists discuss bedroom politics with just as much explicit detail as their male counterparts, if not more so. Formerly of female trio TNT (alongside Tifa and Timberlee), Storm follows in the shoes of Patra, Ce’Cile and especially Lady Saw.

“I like to talk about nasty, risque stuff that maybe most people don’t talk about, but I’ve always grown up around that, the slackness, and my mother had a very dirty mouth,” she said recently.

Born Natalie Cole in rural Trelawny, but raised in Kingston, she has toured the world and mixes global bass genres into her dancehall repertoire. One Man Girl sees her boasting of road-testing several suitors, while Rock the Runway – on the Loudspeaker riddim – and the funky bashment cut Look Pon Me (produced by Sticky) ooze swagger and appeal to both sexes.