By Stephanie Lyew – STAR Writer—

Reggae-soul singer Leba said she anticipates a Reggae Month calendar where talented females will have a chance to showcase their lyrical potency and diversity through the platform.

“(Culture) Minister (Olivia) ‘Babsy’ Grange has made so many speeches about concentrating on the females, and hearing that excites me. I believe she will be pulling out all the stops for us ladies, especially with the upcoming Reggae Month,” Leba told THE WEEKEND STAR. “We are hearing of the shows planned and I am looking to be on some of them, so people can see the league of strong females carrying the genre. Trust me, there are a lot of females who can sing and perform, but when persons go to a show or even before that, just looking on the line-up, is one or two of us you see. So hopefully, this month will see change.”

Only three years ago, Leba, daughter of reggae legend Toots Hibbert, gathered the strength to step from the shadows of providing supporting vocals for other reggae entertainers, including her father, to show that she deserves a chance at the spotlight.

She performed solo for the first time at Rebel Salute on January 18, which she said was an empowering feeling and great way to promote her own brand.

Last year, she surprised fans with a remake of pop sensation Camila Cabello’s Havana, which was titled Jamaica, and featured old-school dancehall deejay Hawkeye.

It did well on the South Florida music charts, where it remained in the top 10 for a couple of weeks. It has been motivation for her to seek other collaborations.

“I would love to work with Spice because of her lyrical flow, and then we have artistes like Jada Kingdom, whose style I like for its versatility,” she said. “At the moment, I am focused on putting in the hard work and I just want the world to be ready for my EP – everything is real, true and sincere, coming from a great place.”