BY KAVELLE ANGLIN-CHRISTIE, Staff Reporter
Tanya Stephens - FILE
HOW TIRED ARE you of hearing the age-old complaint: 'All men are dogs?' We'll guess the answer is 'very'. It's therefore, refreshing to hear it with a twist, and this is what Tanya Stephens consistently delivers.
From all indications, her new album Rebelution will follow suit in April and have fans craving for yet another album. Rebelution is an obvious fusion of Stephens' rebellious personality and her music that has come full circle.
"The word is a mix of the two words 'rebel' and 'revolution' and this basically sums up my entire life. I always question stuff and push the limit and question everyone's authority," she said.
Stephens is known for her to-the-point yet witty lyrics about love, relationships and female empowerment, and says this is the primary reason for her success.
"It is the element of honesty in it. The men try to portray themselves as these studs that can go for hours, and my music says otherwise. I also guess it is because I am not afraid to show my flaws and laugh about it; I don't lie about anything, and I think that's what people can identify with," she said.
As for those who say her lyrics and songs always depict love in a negative light, she says: "That's not true. What I observe is what I sing about. I look at my life and those around me and I put that in my music and besides, negative s...t happens. So I don't think anyone should see it as negative really, it's just true."
TOP LYRICISTS
Still, Stephens is undeniably one of the top Jamaican lyricists and this is something you will never hear this daring singer admit. Instead she describes herself as: "Someone who has been in the industry for more than 16 years and who does primarily reggae and dancehall."
Vivienne Tanya Stephenson was born in St. Mary and says, while growing up, her primary focus was never music. Instead, she says it was going to school.
"I started singing when I was a teenager going to St. Mary High School, but most of my growing up, the emphasis was on education. It was a slower paced lifestyle there, so all I did was study and study."
Studying took its toll and pretty soon she craved something new and exciting. It was then that she made the transition into music. "I just wanted a switch and wanted to see and know other things, and I needed some confirmation, I guess, so I put school on hold ... I started deejaying in the countryside and I ended up on the mic one night at a show."
But Stephens doesn't view her big break as a record deal, like most artistes do. Instead, she says it was "being able to stand in front of a people and hear them sing my songs."
This is nothing short of an achievement for Stephens. Jamaica was first introduced to her in 1993 when she recorded her first single Is This for Real. But as soon as she was on her way, she slowed down after giving birth to her daughter Kelly the following year.
In 1996 she recorded her first album, Big Tings a Gwaan, and it was followed by two other albums. But there was a slump when she went to Sweden in 1998 and recorded Sintoxitated which was only released there.
After three years, she returned to Jamaica and recorded It's a Pity. The song was one of the biggest songs of 2004, getting heavy rotation on the radio and overseas stations such as MTV. The album Gangsta Blues followed shortly.
Though Gangsta Blues was a highly successful album, Stephens was not highly visible in the island. She says there is a valid reason for this.
"It was not deliberate, but so many of our promoters have no manners and are so disrespectful. Simply because you have been in the business for 40 years does not give you a reason to disrespect me," she said.
"...I was once approached by someone who wanted to book me and I told him I would consider it and he should discuss it with my manager. This person went ahead and made flyers saying I would be there. We tried to contact him and he could not be found.
"Then someone contacted me for rehearsals. I asked 'what rehearsals?' ... The next thing I know, people are saying I wasn't on the show because I was overpriced ... These people want you to jump and ask 'how high?' I am very lazy so I don't like to jump," said Stephens.
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