By Yasmine Peru/Senior Gleaner Writer—
Etana said the recently received Billboard plaques makes her feel good about her body of work. ‘Coming from where my journey started in August Town and looking back, and realizing that your hard work has paid off, it kinda hits different,’ she said.
Soulful reggae crooner, Etana, is now the owner of two Billboard plaques, and the girl from August Town is justifiably proud of the mementoes which shout out her achievements in the music industry and which have secured for her a spot in an elite group. The plaques were awarded to commemorate the number one positions of her albums I Rise and Reggae Forever, on the prestigious Billboard Reggae Albums Chart.
“I used to see these plaques on TV and decorating the walls in the offices of major labels and wondered when I would ever get one of those,” the Grammy-nominated reggae singer told The Gleaner. “Having two of my own makes me feel good about the body of work which I have done so far. Coming from where my journey started in August Town and looking back, and realizing that your hard work has paid off, it kinda hits different,” she shared.
Her début studio album, The Strong One, was released in June 2008. A decade later, in December 2018, Etana was nominated for the 61st Annual Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album for Reggae Forever. “I had never seen any women being nominated for the Reggae Grammy, so I created the music for the fans. I was shocked when I received the call that the album was nominated. It was the first project that was totally my own, and it made me feel good to know that people in music thought that my work on an independent project was good enough to be nominated,” the artiste christened Shauna McKenzie said of the Tad’s Records-distributed album.
Reggae Forever held on to the number one on the Billboard reggae albums chart for two consecutive weeks, creating history for Etana as the first female in more than two decades, in reggae, to gain top position twice on the chart. Etana then became the first female in over two decades to be nominated for a Grammy in the Best Reggae Album category, and was hailed for breaking the drought.
Etana, who migrated to the US where she finished school, had originally decided on a career in nursing, but she exited Broward College in the year 2000 to pursue music, eventually returning to Jamaica where she linked with Fifth Element Records. Her message to little girls like herself, especially those in August Town, is simply to hold tight to their big dreams.
“I would tell them what I would tell my eight-year-old self, ‘Hold your head straight and never give up. You are great, you are amazing, you are beautiful; focus on the positives and never let anyone tell you no, and you take that as a final answer’.”
She added, “I remember that in 2013/2014, things were not as smooth as I wanted them to be. In 2016, when there was so much passa passa, that was when I saw 15 million views on Facebook, and my fan base grew. Yuh know when our people give the fire dem turn it all the way up, and dem give it to yuh straight,” she said, smiling now at the brouhaha over her 2016 Trump statement.
“I learnt all the lessons. From where I sit now, I understand that when I had to go through struggle, it was preparation or a reminder of how to deal with what is to come. I am now more centered, and even throughout this whole COVID process, I realize that I don’t have to worry. That power – God, the universe, whatever you may call it – it’s good to be in sync with it,” she said.
NEW MUSIC
Etana, who has used the downtime during the pandemic to get her affairs in order and bond deeper with her children, also completed an album. “Locked and loaded” with new music, she has released two singles – a collab with Kartel titled O Baby and another with Stoneboy named Proppa. “They are the fastest-growing songs I have ever released. What I smile about is the comments on social media like ‘fully Gaza’ or ‘the King and the Queen’. I am happy that my music can make the fans feel happy,” she said.
After many months of lockdown, Etana is ready to emerge from the COVID cocoon, and Saturday, May 29 will be a big day for the Better Tomorrow singer. It will mark her first live show in more than a year, and she is about to do somersaults and back flips to show her joy at being able to perform on a live stage, up close with real live fans at the Spread Love Reggae Festival.
“I can’t wait!” she said, her voice shaky with excitement. “I have been preparing myself both mentally and physically for this concert in North Carolina. My regular set is an hour and a half long, but we are always prepared to go longer if time allows, and the fans request it,” Etana said joyfully.
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