Arguably one of the most prolific female vocalists locally, reggae singer/songwriter Etana has struck a cord with audiences and, like any beautiful melody, she's winning the hearts of the people, one song at a time.

Spirited in her approach to communicate uplifting and inspirational messages to the youths, she's been described by critics as 'the truth', one who will bring about real change with her powerful and captivating voice that, at times, seems flawlessly pure.

Rebellious in her approach to denote systematic oppression against all races, Etana takes pride in being an artiste. She feels strongly that her responsibility, as a singer, is to express positive vibrations in her music and from this she will gracefully admit to staying the course.

Born Shauna McKenzie, Etana spent her youthful days playing in the hillside community of August Town, situated in the south eastern side of Jamaica. The only daughter from a fairly large family of boys, she was curious and mischievous, doing the things most children tend to do at an early age.

Etana attended school locally until 1992 when she migrated to Miami, Florida. She finished grade school and eventually went off to college, the year after, with plans of becoming a registered nurse.

Passionate about music

During her studies at Broward Community College, Etana became extremely passionate about music. She was consumed with the joy of creating her own mix of the different genres she listened to in her earlier years. A fan of reggae, pop, hip hop and jazz musicians, she found inspiration in Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott, Sizzla Kalonji, Marcia Griffiths and the legendary Bob Marley, all of whom eventually gave the then academic the will to explore a new and potentially more suited career in music.

In 2000, after making a tough decision to prematurely exit college, Etana attempted a shot at stardom when she joined a girl group called GIFT, which was being courted by Universal Records. Conforming to the industry stereotype of how a woman should dress, Etana fell victim to the demands of being a mainstream star. It wasn't her ideal fit, but she conformed to the record label's requests and gave in to her group's glamorous appeal, until one day, while on a video shoot for their lead single, she could bear no more. She walked away from the spotlight and returned to Kingston to start afresh as an entrepreneur, looking to grab a piece of the cyber market with an Internet café.

Her terms

Down, but not out, Etana still wanted to do music, but only on her own terms. She wanted to send a different message and portray a more dignified look. This opportunity came in 2005 when a friend brought her to Fifth Element Studios, which, at the time, was prospering from the strength of Richie Spice, who was heavily booked for several American and European tours.

Auditioning for a shot at becoming the backup vocalist for Spice, Etana vocally floored his management team and was handed a plane ticket to do a few shows in America. The following 15 months allowed the songstress to soak up valuable experience as a stage performer with stints in Europe and North America.

Eager to make her own mark, Etana boldly attempted a single one day while chilling with the guitar player and percussionist from Richie Spice's band. The idea had been floating in her head for weeks and, like magic, the melody for her debut smash single Wrong Address was born.

Simple, yet effective, the single was a fusion of jazz and reggae. In 2006, the song was rewarded with heavy radio rotations, taking it to the number one position on several local charts. Describing her style then, Etana was quoted as saying: "I do music straight from the heart, straight from the soul, straight from the people I see in everyday life."

Roots hit

Her second major hit, Roots, was an intriguing mix of African and cultural sounds fused with Jamaican Creole. Videos for both songs helped bring Etana to the forefront of reggae and, during the summer and winter of 2007, she made her mark as a solo artiste, performing on international events such as Reggae Sumfest, Fully Loaded, ATI Live Concert, Irie Jamboree, Welcome to Jamrock and Guinness Sting.

Picking up where she left off in 2007, Etana began 2008 with the same level of focus, rocking the Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival in late January, to the point that patrons complained that the promoters put her on too early.

With several well-deserved awards in the bag, Etana took home Best Female Vocalist at both the Excellence in Music & Entertainment Awards and the IRIE FM Radio Awards. She also copped the award for Best Solo Female Reggae Vocalist at the first annual Reggae Academy Awards, from her three nominations.

Currently promoting her new singles, Warrior Love and I Am Not Afraid, off her debut album, Etana: The Strong One on VP Records, Etana is boldly taking on the world of music with the help of her new management team at Solid Agency. Etana is poised to do Reggae proud.

Etana - file photos