Singer Alaine Laughton. - WINSTON SILL
Stage Name: Alaine
Real name: Alaine Laughton
Birth Month: September
Age: 20's
How did you get started in the business?
"I started when I was a little girl. I was in the Victoria Mutual Ad and I hosted this show called 'Vibrations' on the then JBC and I was in the Folk Singers. But when I went to high school, I stopped for a while, because my parents thought it was important for me to concentrate on school. While I was at St. Andrew (high), I was the director of the school choir for three years. While there I studied classical piano and when I went to UWI, I did Management and Psychology and got an Honours degree. After that I worked in an investment bank in New York, but after a while I decided that this nine to five wasn't for me, and that's when music came back into my life."
What has been your greatest challenge in the business yet?
"The greatest challenge comes from the fact that music is not an exact science so a lot of it has been trial and error, and the hardest part of it is coming up with something that the people will love."
What have you been up to lately?
"I recently did a song with Wayne Marshall called Dying for a Cure. It deals with HIV prevention. HIV is a big deal, it's a pandemic and it is something that needs to be highlighted. But I've just been doing a lot of recording and performing really."
Do you look up to any specific artiste?
"Geez, ther're so many. There are people like Beres Hammond, Marcia Griffiths, Shabba Ranks, Whitney Houston, Alecia Keys, Cold Play, Bob Marley...I have so many influences because I was classically trained, so it's anywhere from classical to pop."
Are you happy with the way things are going for your musical career right now?
"Yes, because I have been getting a positive response from people. It's the best thing when people say they like my songs. Like one time a friend of mine in the business was talking about Ordinary Love and said 'You know that's how I love my girl and can you imagine if that's how she loves me too'. It feels really good when people are supportive."
Anything you'd like to change about it?
"Well, yes, but I'm a firm believer that God won't let anything happen before it's time and everything is preordained, so I feel comfortable in the direction that He is taking me."
What is your future plan?
"I plan to keep writing and to get signed, sealed and delivered by a record label. I also want to do a lot of work with the youth in Jamaica in terms of developing a music program...There is so much that I would like to do, but I think it is very important to give back to the young people of Jamaica because there is a lot we can do in terms of using music to effect change, and also to be a role model as an artiste."
Do you have any advice for young artistes coming up?
"I would say, stay focused and believe in yourself. Don't let go of your dreams and the moment someone says 'no', you are one step closer to 'yes'. Don't let go, because nothing you get easily is appreciated; stay true to who you are and be prepared to stand behind the music you do, so do music that you are comfortable with."
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