Mothers wary of music industry
PARENTS ARE always hopeful that their children will grow up to be ambitious, and in so doing, make wise decisions when choosing their career path. However, some of the choices, especially of those who decide to pursue a career in music, don’t usually find favour with the parents in the beginning. But as many entertainers, especially those who find success, would reveal, their moms now see that it was all worth it.
Producer-selector DJ Sunshine is known for her hits with Alkaline and her juggling on commercial radio. Her mother wanted her to become a lawyer, a doctor, or an architect. She did follow mommy’s rule and went on to complete a degree in architecture, however, music still pulled along a different path.
“I’m not sure which parent would want their child to be a selector. She wanted me to be a lawyer, doctor or architect. When I took the job at Irie FM, she said ‘Jesus Christ! I wasted all my money and effort’, but over the years, she has changed. She realised that education is a major part of anything that you choose to do, so she is proud now,” Sunshine said.
Recording artiste Kalado was raised by his grandmother and has no recollection of his biological mother. He says that his grandmother wanted him to pursue a career in art since he was good at drawing.
“When my grandmother heard that I was about to be an artiste, she was saying I should go and finish school because I had a visual arts scholarship on the table. She felt that music is a ‘cruff’ mentality. But when she saw me on the TV, she began to have a different perception, because I was now able to put food on the table and people look up to me. I was an orphan before my grandmother took me up, so she is my mother,” he said.
CONTRASTING EXPERIENCE
DJ Nas, however, had a different experience since her mother is none other than veteran reggae artiste Joy White, known for her hit song The First Cut Is The Deepest.
“She was actually proud of me. She listened to he first radio show I ever did and she was pretty excited because we are from a music family. The only thing she said, was to be careful of clashes because they bring feud and contention. She is happy for me, and she always encourages me to keep positive and stay away from songs that speak down on women,” Nas said.
Reggae artiste I-Octane told The Sunday Gleaner, that his mother struggled to put him through school, therefore, she was apprehensive about his decision to do music.
“Music has a certain stigma. Its just now some people start giving music a level of respect. So mommy did kinda scared because a nuff youth try after music for over two decades and still don’t make it. So she was very sceptical. She was like ‘Yow, guh tek up yu book ... bout yu a sing. Stay dey think yu a guh waste mi money’. But it was all for the best,” he told The Sunday Gleaner.