5 questions with ... Sophia BROWN
REGGAE SINGER Sophia Brown has a career spanning two decades and three albums. She is most popularly known for the songs Let It Be Me and Gimme That Good Love. Despite a long presence in the industry, Brown has remained relatively low-key and not much is known about her outside of her music. That will change as she gives fans an insight into Sophia Brown, the woman.
List one thing people would be surprised to know about you.
People would surprised to know I am a good cook. Me love my curry chicken bad, so my favourite thing to cook is curry chicken with white rice and vegetables on the side. I love ackee and salt fish too. I also really don’t work as much as people might think I do. I love taking time out for the family every chance I get.
What is your biggest fear?
Oh Lord! I am scared of the ocean even though I am always there (laughs). I can’t swim, so I have it in the back of my mind that one day I will go in and never come back out. but I love the water.
Which female reggae artiste is your biggest inspiration?
My biggest inspiration is Marcia Griffiths, for sure. She has been doing this for decades and shows no signs of slowing down. I am so appreciative of what she has done for females in reggae music. She has broken down so many barriers and has shown us, as female entertainers, that a woman can stand the test of time in an industry that is ever-changing.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would that be?
It would be how we market ourselves as artistes — our image. An artiste’s image is very important and I find that we are very lacking in how we present ourselves to the world. Our image is our business , we are the products and the more artistes understand that, the more our industry will grow especially overseas.
If you were prime minister for a day, what is one of the things you would focus on changing in the country?
I would focus on quite a few things, but my main focus would be education. Too many young people are undereducated and, as such, are not readily equipped to go out into the workforce today. The lack of proper education is why we have so much teenage pregnancy and why our young men turn to crime. Our young people are not fully informed about the importance of being career focused and I would want to do everything to change that.