Sheba moving into reggae
Says she regrets not focusing on business of music in early days
Dancehall artiste Sheba says she will be spending more of her time putting out reggae music. The former Gaza member says she has matured over the years and believes reggae is the best way to show that growth.
“I want a clean slate and so I am going to try my hands at reggae. Mi kinda wah take mi self outta the dancehall scene, not because it’s competitive or anything like that, but mi just feel like mi a get to an age where I don’t want to be half-naked all the time. My kids are grown and mi feel like mi fi deh pan a more mature thing and challenge mi music inna different way,” she said.
“Mi have motivational messages now weh mi woulda really like fi spread. I have already started recording reggae songs. I did one for the record label Summit Hill Records, called In The Streets, and that was released on the European market. It got good responses, so mi say why not continue, and so now mi have one fi release called Thank You
Jah, and that’s produced by Dr Love, and I think that might be the biggest one. I am trying to create a different kind of audience and a different fan base. I am toning it down and taking baby steps towards a new beginning.”
Sheba has been forced to clarify comments she made in one of her recent Instagram live sessions in which she said that she never received any royalties for some songs to which she contributed. Many persons have concluded that the comments represented thinly veiled jabs at Vybz Kartel, her mentor.
However, in an interview with
THE STAR last week, Sheba described the issue that has attracted some attention, as “a misunderstanding”.
“I was talking about music and how mi not benefiting from it, and say mi nuh think me a guh really kill up mi self over it. Someone asked me about royalties in the comment section, and I responded saying mi nuh know nothing ‘bout that because I never received any royalties from the day I sign up. It’s true that I have never gotten a cent from royalties, but maybe that is my own fault,” she said.
Sheba explained that in the earlier stages of her career, she was more focused on producing music than she was about the business of music itself. She says, looking back, she faults herself for how things turned out, particularly as it relates to collecting money from her work.
“If I could go back and change one thing, it would be learning more about how this industry operates on the business side of things. Now, I know a little bit because I have been spending time to study the business. Back then mi never really handle much of that and I still regret it. Mi did just a record music and perform at shows and a collect the one-off money.”