Conversations

Singer, songwriter, and humanitarian Etana is a powerhouse vocalist and Grammy Award, nominee. More than a decade after her debut as a reggae artist, she is now a recognized and respected entertainer in her native Jamaica and becoming more famous worldwide. Born Shauna McKenzie, the young talent migrated to the United States for the opportunity and briefly pursued a pop music career before rediscovering her roots as an adult and adopting the moniker Etana, “The Strong One” in Swahili. The return home spurred the evolution of her sound and is evident in her body of work expressed as the fusion of folk, soul, jazz, and reggae. Etana taps into the likes of Marcia Griffiths, Etta James, and Miriam Makeba for harnessing a deeply emotional sound and she is the modern embodiment of their influence. In 2008 Etana debuted the album The Strong One featuring various musicians and producers. The project reached the #12 spot on the Reggae Billboard chart, and consecutively released singles released by VP Records helped to