BY RICHARD JOHNSON—
Observer senior reporter—
Lila Iké—
LILA Iké is calling on her fellow female artistes to recognize their role and the responsibility they have to nurture the next generation.
Speaking during an online question-and-answer session sponsored by British shoe company Clarks, she told viewers that it is for that reason she sees the current wave of female artistes coming out of Jamaica as a great thing and something much bigger than the music itself.
“It is amazing to see women on the forefront as role models because there are a lot of young women in Jamaica who are lost… heir meditation is on a next thing. Music is the rod and we are Moses, a dat Garnett Silk seh. So we as creators, it is our duty to be responsible with what we say – but not a lot of people are. So if you have the more popular music not necessarily leading or women or boys in the right road, then you can imagine what the future will look like,” she said.
Silk (born Garnet Smith) was part of a roots renaissance in the 1990’s that also included his close friends Yasus Afari, deejay Tony Rebel, and singer Everton Blender. The influential reggae singer and his mother died in an explosion at her Manchester home on December 9, 1994.
For Lila Iké, it is therefore critical that the thinking and actions of women be on a much higher level given their role in rearing the young, which will result in a strong and well-developed future generation of which everyone can be proud.
“We need more powerful female role models on the forefront of something that is trendy, something that young people are interested in…so why not music? I just want to big up my colleagues: Koffee; Naomi Cowan; Jazz Elise; Yana; Queen Ifrica; Jah9; everybody…all of the strong women doing music and doing it well, representing themselves as women properly. Remember, we are nurturing the next generation so it is literally in our hands,” she said.
Lila Iké is still pushing her maiden project, a seven-track EP titled The ExPerience which was released two weeks ago on the RCA imprint. However, she is already making plans for her next project, which she disclosed is a full-length album to be released early next year.
She shared that she plans to have a number of features on this project with artistes she has always wanted to work with, and added that artistes with whom she collaborates must share her passion for the music.
“I wanted Tanya Stephens to be on The ExPerience but that didn’t work out, but for sure eventually…she is amazing. You have to be a master at your skill. If I’m going to collaborate with somebody they have to love what they do just like I do, be as obsessed with mastery and honing their craft as I am. That alone will set the foundation for a really nice work ethic in the studio and just getting things done properly.”
Like the rest of the entertainment industry, Lila Iké’s plans for the summer months have been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Her itinerary included a tour of the United Kingdom and Europe as well as spot gigs in North America.
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