Etana—
Reggae singer Etana has seen an uptick in streams following the announcement that her album, Reggae Forever, has been nominated for a Grammy Award. Her manager, Andre Morris, revealed that while physical sales were going well, it is on the streaming platforms that the increase in sales is most noticeable.
“We take copies of the album with us to every show, and sales continue to be steady, but we have noticed that streaming is going greater than before, and we attribute that to the Grammy nomination,” a delighted Morris said, while not revealing actual figures.
He admitted that the team made the decision to make the most of the nomination, and, therefore, Etana is now busy making the rounds in the United States in the run-up to the Grammy Awards. She is currently in the middle of a US public relations campaign, which has, so far, seen her making appearances on a number of regional stations, including DECO Drive, Fox TV in South Florida; WJXT, Jacksonville’s number-one station; Tampa Bay ABC4 TV; and WESH-Channel 2, Orlando’s NBC affiliate. All her interviews include a special acoustic performance.
With the Grammys less than a month away, the singer and her manager are looking forward to being part of the celebrity-filled audience at music’s biggest night.
“Yes, we are going to the Grammys!” was the enthusiastic response from the Grammy-nominated reggae singer and her manager.
“We are not even thinking about winning,” her manager said. “We are in such illustrious company that that in itself is a win for Etana. There are Sting, Shaggy, Ziggy, Protoje, and Black Uhuru, the first winners of the Best Reggae Recording (Reggae Grammy) in 1985. We are honored.”
Reflecting on the awards, Morris said that one of the biggest surprises for them was the fact that Etana had broken a 21-year drought for female artistes in the Best Reggae Album category. Her Reggae Forever is the first album by a woman to make the cut since Sister Carol’s Lyrically Potent in 1997.
“But so many women have released albums during that time. What happened to them? Is this the best album from a female singer since then?” he quizzed.
In the meantime, Etana said that she was looking forward to being in Jamaica to participate in some of the Reggae Month activities, after which her schedule sees her performing in Costa Rica and Martinique in March, and she is set to make her debut in the Reunion Islands in April, a gig that she is highly anticipating. She goes on a US tour in the spring while the summer will greet her in Europe.
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