Spirited in her approach to communicate fitting and inspirational messages to the youth she’s been described by critics as the truth, one who will bring about real change with her powerful and captivating voice that at times seem flawlessly pure. Rebellious in her approach to denote systematic oppression against all races Etana takes pride in being an artist, she feels strongly that her responsibility as a recording artist is to express positive vibrations in her music and from this she will graceful admit to staying the course.
Born Shauna McKenzie Etana spent her youthful days playing in the hill side community of August Town situated in the South Eastern side of Jamaica. The only daughter of a fairly large family of boys she was as curious then as she is determined now doing the mischievous things most children tend to do at an early age. Attending school locally up until 1992 when she migrated to the U.S to start a new life in the sunshine state of Miami Florida Etana was a budding achiever; she finished grade school and eventually went off to college the year after with plans of becoming a Registered Nurse.
During her studies at Broward Community College Etana became extremely passionate about music, she was consumed with the joy of creating her own mix of the different genres she would attentively listen to in her earlier years. A hardened fan of Reggae, Pop, Hip Hop and Jazz Musicians she found inspiration in Whitney Houston, Lauren Hill, Jill Scott, Sizzla Kalongi, Marcia Griffiths and the legend Bob Marley all of who eventually gave the then academic the will to explore a new and potentially more suited career in Music.
In 2000 after making a tough decision to prematurely exit college Etana attempted a shot at stardom when she joined a girl group by the name "GIFT" which was being courted by Universal Records. Sexy, Reviling and conforming to the industry stereo type of how a woman should dress Etana fell victim to her dreams of becoming a mainstream star. It wasn’t her ideal fit but she conformed to the record labels requests and gave in to her groups glamorous appeal until one day while on a video shoot for their lead single she could bear it no more, walking away from the spotlights and returning to her place of birth Kingston, Jamaica to start fresh as an entrepreneur looking to grab a piece of the Cyber Market with an Internet Cafe.
Down but not out Etana still wanted to do music but only in her own way, she wanted to send a different message and portray a more eloquent look and this opportunity came in 2005 when a friend brought her to Fifth Element who at the time was prospering from the strength of Richie Spice who was heavily booked for several American and European Tours. Auditioning for a shot at becoming the backup vocalist for Spice Etana vocally floored his management team and was handed a plane ticket to do a few shows in the U.S. The ensuing fifteen months followed with the now permanent songstress soaking up valued experience as a stage performer with performance credits in Europe and North America. Eager to make her own mark Etana boldly attempted a hit single one day while chilling with the guitar player and Percussionist from Richie Spice’s band. The idea had been floating in her thoughts for weeks and like magic the melody for her debut smash single "Wrong Address" was born. Simple yet effective the single was a fusion of Jazz and Reggae, it was the first of its kind and in 2006 the song was rewarded with heavy radio rotations plunging it in the number 1 position of several local charts.
Describing her style back then Etana was quoted as saying "I do music straight from the heart, straight from the soul, straight from the people i see in everyday life" and so came about her second major hit Roots which was an intriguing mix of African and reggae cultural sounds fused with Jamaican Creole. The song became an anthem because of the definitive statement "You can’t water down and dilute" featured in the chorus.
Video’s for both songs helped bring Etana to the forefront of Reggae and during the summer and winter of 2007 she made her mark as a solo artist performing on international events like Reggae Sumfest, Fully Loaded, ATI Live Concert, Irie Jamboree, Welcome to Jamrock and Guinness Sting. Picking up where she left off in 2007 Etana began 2008 with the same level of focus rocking the likes of an Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival in late January so much so that patrons lashed the promoters for putting her on too early. A few well deserved awards in the bag Etana took home Best Female Vocalist at both the Excellence in Music & Entertainment (EME) Awards and the IRIE FM Radio Awards not to mention an award for Best Solo Female Reggae Vocalist copped at the 1st annual Reggae Academy Awards for which she had nominations in 3 separate categories.
Currently promoting her new singles "Warrior Love" and "I Am Not Afraid" off her soon to be released debut album ETANA THE STRONG ONE on VP Records Etana is boldly taking on the world of music with the help of her new management team at Solid Agency. Owner of Free Mind Music / The Best Records Etana is poised to do Reggae proud.
Mocking Bird
Etana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm so glad that you are mine
Babygirl I love you so
Let me tell you right and now
From the very first time you played
You took my breath away
You shook me up and down
Let the music swing for us
As walking on the very green grass
And I come tell you seh, seh I run come move your way
I say rise let it be nice
Neva lose di words that make us survive
Tek everything love still bring
Shift dem from pain and tek dem to spring
Save all your gold, the breath of the world
And when dem say 'hush still we say more
And I don't give, I don't give a damn about dis
From the very first time you played
You took my breath away
You shook me up and down
So I affi tell you dis I know
Let the music swing for us
As walking on the very green grass
And I come tell you seh, seh I run come move your way
I say rise let it be nice
Neva lose di words that make us survive
Tek everything love still bring
Save all your gold, the breath of the world
And when dem say hush still we say more
And I don't give, I don't give a fuck about dis
When Etana sings "Baby you're my sunshine, I'm so glad that you are mine," she's expressing her love and affection for someone special in her life. The rest of the song is about how music and love can uplift and inspire us, even in difficult times. Etana talks about how this person took her breath away from the very first time they played music together, and how the music seems to swing for them as they walk on the green grass. She also tells them to rise and let it be nice, to never lose the words that make them survive, and to save all their gold and the breath of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby you're my sunshine
You bring light and happiness into my life.
I'm so glad that you are mine
I am grateful that you are in my life.
Babygirl I love you so
I love you deeply and sincerely.
Let me tell you right and now
I want to express myself clearly and without hesitation.
From the very first time you played
From the moment I met you or heard you perform.
You took my breath away
You left me feeling amazed and astounded.
You shook me up and down
You stirred up my emotions and feelings.
So I affi tell you dis I know
I have to let you know what I am thinking and feeling.
Let the music swing for us
Let the music be our companion and bring us joy.
As walking on the very green grass
As we enjoy nature and the beauty of our surroundings.
And I come tell you seh, seh I run come move your way
And I am telling you that I am coming to be with you and enjoy your company.
I say rise let it be nice
I encourage you to rise up and enjoy life.
Neva lose di words that make us survive
Never forget the words and messages that keep us going.
Tek everything love still bring
Accept everything that love brings, even the challenges and difficulties.
Shift dem from pain and tek dem to spring
Transform pain into hope and renewal.
Save all your gold, the breath of the world
Treasure the most valuable things in life, such as love and nature.
And when dem say 'hush still we say more
When others try to silence us, we speak up even louder.
And I don't give, I don't give a damn about dis
And I do not care about the obstacles or challenges we may face.
Writer(s): Kemar Richardo Mcgregor
Contributed by Hailey L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ben le Noble
etana's songs make me in other travel
@briandoherty172
This riddim is Mawwddddd
@jennifersomers3267
“ Poverty is not for me.”
Blessings and one love!
@high16200
She is an amazing singer. watching from Sweden🙏🙏💓💓
@HoneyO
love spinning this track at gigs
@carlconde6391
great sound, great beat, great bass line, great composition
@blessed465
Love the words sister.
@theehighnessqueenmoya4523
Big up to etana
@indangasiedwin6472
LUV IT
@omashewpersaud2860
❤🎉❤.