ETANA believes she broke new ground in terms of fans on her recent tour of the United States.
The singer performed in 11 states, starting April 25 in Brooklyn College in New York at The Grog Shop. She closed June 14 at the Livewire in Scottsdale, Arizona, alongside Hawaiian singer Anuhea.
The three-week trek was in promotion of Etana’s
I Rise album which was released last October by VP Records.
“The fans were hardly Jamaicans or any other Caribbean. I saw a lot of Jamaicans at the Washington DC, Howard Theatre show. Otherwise [it was] mainly African, white, Maui, Samoans, Guam, Hawaiians,” she told the Sunday Observer. “Some were already familiar with the music and some hearing me for the first time. Great experience all around.”
Some of the shows were at venues which have hosted reggae artistes and events for years. They include The Wild Hare in Chicago, Fox Theatre in Boulder, Colorado and The Catalyst in Santa Cruz, California.
Produced by Clive Hunt, I Rise is Etana’s fourth album. The recent US tour was her third in promotion of the set, having previously performed in the US and Europe.
She is satisfied with the response to the album.
“It would not be fair to say I am not [with] all the love I have seen: People singing all the songs and requesting songs like Richest Girl, I Rise or Weakness in Me,” she said. “I appreciate it being in the top 10 (of the Billboard Reggae Album chart) more than once since its release.”
Etana is scheduled to hit the road again in August for a month-long tour of Europe.
–By Howard Campbell
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