Tifa ON TOP
SHE’S HOT, she’s fierce, and she’s telling all to Youthlink (YL). This week, dancehall’s reigning diva, Tifa (T), shares with us what truly makes her unique, her latest adventures, and, overall, the reasons she has remained Jamaica’s sweetheart.
YL: We all know you grew up on the stage, being actively involved in the performing arts programme when you were a student at Wolmer’s Girls’ School. What’s one of the most embarrassing moments you can recall from those days?
T: I don’t think I had any embarrassing high-school moments at all. In high school, I was one of the cool kids. Everybody wanted to see me dance, not sing, because I was more known as a dancer. I sang a bit, but I was ‘The dancer’, so I doubt I had an embarrassing high-school moment.
YL: You turned down a hockey scholarship to pursue music. Had it been the other way around, would I be interviewing ‘Tifa, the professional hockey player’ today?
T: No, hockey was something that I liked; it wasn’t something that I loved. That’s part of the reason why I did not take the scholarship. Of course, everybody wants free schooling, but when I saw what the schedule entailed, I was basically like, “I’m going here to play hockey”, know what I mean? As I said, there’s a difference between liking something and loving something and hockey wasn’t something I was madly in love with.
YL: There’s a certain sass about your deejay persona, especially reflected in songs such as ‘Got It Like That’ and ‘Bottom of The Barrel’. Is the real Tifa the type of person to enact confrontation, or do you usually let things slide?
T: I’m a Sagittarius (chuckles), so how do I put this? We’re the sweetest people in the world, but if you cross us, we are like Hulk – we change into this big, green monster, so don’t push me because I will crack.
YL: Time and time again you have mentioned that you would like to become the Jamaican Madonna. What’s the one Madonna song that always puts you in a vibe?
T: (Smiles) Frozen or Tell Me. None of her way-back hits.
YL: In 2012 you won all of the awards for the categories in which you were nominated at YVAs, which reflects your level of achieve-
ment as an artiste. Is there any specific award that you hold dear?
T: Uh-uh. We don’t really have a real system here in Jamaica, if you get what I’m saying. In terms of album sales as is right now, other than YVAs and probably Star Awards, there’s no real award show here. Just to be acknowledged for the work you’ve been doing is a great feat. A lot of persons go their whole life waiting on their acknowledgement and never get it.
YL: Your song ‘Jealous Ova’ alongside Dexta Daps is doing extremely well. Based on its content, is it safe to assume that Tifa is the jealous type in relationships?
T: Ha! Ha! When necessary (smirks). I mean, there has to be a little bit of jealousy. If you don’t get jealous then, CLEARLY, you don’t care about the person. I’m not the overly jealous type where I’m going to be searching your phone, having stakeouts in tinted vehicles, peeping at you (laughs).
YL: In February you were presented with the GLA 250 GMATIC by Mercedes-Benz
Jamaica. What’s the craziest adventure it has taken you on so far?
T: I think that would be the last adventure we went on where we basically drove around Jamaica. We went from Kingston to Ochi, Ochi to MoBay, MoBay to Negril, St Elizabeth, Mandeville – we basically drove in a circle on one tank of gas! I was just like, OMG (laughs), but that was the challenge – to see if it could carry us around Jamaica on one tank. When we reached Mandeville, it reached about a quarter tank of gas, and I was like, “OMG! We need fi stop and put gas inna da vehicle ya. It nah bring us to Kingston.”
YL: Say you’ve met a fan who brings to your attention a large tattoo of your face on his skin. Would you be flattered or totally creeped out by it?
T: I would be flattered by it. I mean, different people express differently. There’s a guy in Harbor View who, when filler tattoos were
Hockey was something that I liked; it wasn’t something that I loved. That’s part of the reason I did not take the scholarship.
in style, had his whole body covered in tattoos. If he were to do that with my face, then that would probably creep me out, but filler tattoos aren’t hot again. So far, though, the weirdest thing I’ve seen is when I was on a road show with Digicel in Trelawny. We were going through the market and a boy bought a pair of air force, brand new, fresh out of the box just to have me sign them. I was just like, wow!
YL: You’ve established yourself as an artiste, you’ve signed endorsement deals with major companies, and you’ve become a role model for youth. What’s next for Tifa?
T: I don’t know – kids, family (laughs). That’s definitely in the future – probably in another five years or so. Back It Up skimmed the American billboard, and since Patra, no female has done it as a single female – no collaboration, no feature, just as Tifa going on the rhythmic chart. Omi did it for the guys, Sean Paul did it, Shaggy did it, that’s what I want to do. Until I do that, everybody just has to get used to me.