Birthday pre-order for Etana’s new album
Singer loving time with kids
GRAMMY-NOMINATED REGGAE singer Etana isn’t letting the COVID-19 pandemic cloud her vision nor direct her path. She is using this time of postponed concerts to bond with her children and also to make more music. “Besides being all over my kids, reading, being teacher, telling stories, and playing hide-and-seek, I spend a lot of time reading and researching. When I’m not doing all of the aforementioned, I also try to keep up the pace with the mess the children make and the cleaning. I also keep writing and recording,” she shared with The Gleaner.
The Strong One is showing her defiance in the face of what is painted as adversity and is forging ahead with the promised summer release of her seventh studio album. Etana, who rules under the zodiac sign, Gemini, gets a little more personal with this album, perhaps an indication of just how special it is to her. Not only is it titled Gemini, the album will be up for pre-order on May 22, which happens to be her birthday.
“I chose the title Gemini because the album was created by mainly Geminis. Also, according to astrology, Geminis adjust and adapt effortlessly. It’s also said they get along with every other sign. There is so much more, but on this album there is something for everyone and we all can relate,” she explained.
Truly, the first single from the project, was released in March, to a welcoming embrace. According to Etana, it is “a sweet song, seasoned with reggae and completed with love”. She adds that the track is “a composition we all can use right now; especially for the lovers in quarantine”.
A 12-track offering, Gemini will be officially released on June 19 and features three collaborations, including Tight Space with Kabaka Pyramid,
Secret Lovers with Wiya, and Jamaica with Bugle, No-Maddz and Yahsha.
Another project that the
Stronger singer is extremely happy with is producer NotNice’s inspirational, multi-artiste anthem, We Are, and she did not hesitate to add her vocals to the song. “In times of crisis, comfort is always found in music. Here we have some of Jamaica’s greatest cultural ambassadors stepping in to help to heal the nation during this COVID-19 pandemic. I want to big up NotNice and all the artistes and musicians who participated in this venture. We are truly all in this together. The proceeds are going to a very worthy cause,” she told followers on social media this week.
TOURING
Etana started 2020 with her ‘Spread Love’ world tour in January which saw shows in Sydney and Melbourne in Australia, and New Zealand. Her yearlong Reggae Forever World Tour closed in December 2019 with shows in Qatar and Carriacou. The tour had begun in March 2019 in the United States, and saw Etana going through 36 states. She also played in Kenya, Leeds in the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Austria, and Canada. Since dropping her debut album, The Strong One, in 2008, Etana has released Free Expressions, Better Tomorrow, I Rise, the Grammynominated
Reggae Forever and
Dimensions.