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.
Nothing But Love
Etana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I say we owe no body nothing but love
Just love yeah sweet love
Straight from the heart
Ohhh mmmm ohhh
As i take a little walk down the street
I nod my head to every single one i meet
And every time i smile and say a big hello
Cos we owe no body nothing but love
Just love yeah sweet love
I said we owe nobody nothing but love
Just love sweet love
Straight from the heart
Love me love me love me love me love me love me yeah
Mi say mi love mi love mi love mi love
As i watched the little children smile and play
I wonder if there is a better way
Cos the future is affected by today
So let us build a better place for them to stay and play
Cos we owe no body nothing but love
Just love yeah sweet love
I say we owe no body nothing but love
Just love sweet love
Straight from the heart
Love me love me love me love me love me love me yeah
But we owe no body nothing but love just love yeah sweet love
I say we owe no body nothing but love
Just love sweet love
Straight from the heart
Mmmmmm
Love love love love
I say we owe no body nothing but love just love sweet love
I say we owe no body nothing
Oh la la la la la la love yeah
I say we owe no body nothing but love just love yeah sweet love ohhh
And we owe no body nothing
Hehe haha
The lyrics of Etana's song "Nothing But Love" advocate for spreading positive energy and love to everyone. The singer says we don't owe anything to anybody else but to love each other, straight from the heart. She suggests that such actions can make a difference in the world we live in, and it can start with small acts such as smiling and greeting people on the streets. The singer also reflects on children and their future, and how building a better place for them to stay and play is part of the responsibility that comes with spreading love. Overall, the message of the song is that we all deserve to love and be loved, and that we can create a more compassionate and harmonious world by embracing that idea.
Line by Line Meaning
I love mmmm
The singer is expressing their love for someone or something.
I say we owe no body nothing but love
The singer believes that love is the only thing that everyone owes to each other and nothing else.
Just love yeah sweet love
Love is simple, sweet, and the only thing that matters.
Straight from the heart
Love should come from a genuine and sincere place within someone.
Ohhh mmmm ohhh
An expression of the artist's emotions or feelings.
As i take a little walk down the street
The singer is describing their physical movement down a street.
I nod my head to every single one i meet
The singer acknowledges and greets every person they come across on the street.
And every time i smile and say a big hello
The artist adds a friendly and welcoming gesture to their greeting.
Don't you know that is the only way to go ohhhh
The artist believes that being friendly and kind to everyone is the best way to live life.
Cos we owe no body nothing but love
The artist reiterates their belief that love is the only thing we owe to each other.
I said we owe nobody nothing but love
The singer repeats their thesis that love is the only obligation we have to others.
Love me love me love me love me love me love me yeah
An expression of the artist's desire to be loved.
Mi say mi love mi love mi love mi love
The singer continues to express their love for someone or something.
As i watched the little children smile and play
The singer observes children engaging in innocent and joyful activities.
I wonder if there is a better way
The singer questions if there is a better way for society to function and treat each other, especially for the benefit of children.
Cos the future is affected by today
The artist recognizes that the present actions and decisions of adults will impact the future of children.
So let us build a better place for them to stay and play
The artist advocates for creating a better world for children to live and enjoy themselves in.
Love love love love
Repetition of the word 'love,' emphasizing its importance and centrality in the singer's message.
I say we owe no body nothing but love just love sweet love
The singer repeats their thesis that love is everything and the only thing that we owe to each other.
Oh la la la la la la love yeah
An expression of joy and happiness associated with love.
And we owe no body nothing
The artist emphasizes their point that other than love, we don't owe anyone anything.
Hehe haha
An expression of joy or amusement, possibly indicating the song's end.
Writer(s): Andre O'neil Fennell, Shauna Gayle Melissa Mckenzie, L. David Lewis, Robert Livingston, Anthony Fennell
Contributed by Lucy V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@carlyah1
Hay, love
I say we own no body love
Just love
Hay, love
I say we own no body love
Just love
Yeah
Sweet love
Straight from the heart
As I take a little walk down the street
I knock my had to every single one I meet
Every time I smile and say a big hello
Don't you know it's the only way to go
Cause we own no body nothing but love
Just love, sweet love
I say we own no body nothing but love
Just love
Sweet love
Straight from the heart
Love me love me love me love me love me love me, yeah
Me say love me love me love me
And I watch the children smile and play
I wonder if there is a better way
Cause the future is effected by today
So let us build a better place for them to stay and play
Cause we own no body nothing but love
Just love, yeah, sweet love
I say we own no body nothing but love
Just love, sweet love
Straight from the heart
Love me love me love me love me love me love me, yeah
Love me love me love me love me love me love me, yeah
Love me love me love me love me love me love me, yeah
Cause we own no body nothing but love
Just love, sweet love
I say we own no body nothing but love
Just love
Sweet love
Straight from the heart
Love, love, love
I say we own no body nothing but love
Just love, sweet love
I say we own no body nothing but lohahaha
And we own no body nothing
@memoirsofadoll
She's so under rated..love her.
@betterjamaicannews9245
She get her respect, she is the bosslady
@lololaylo5236
@Better Jamaican news 💪🏾
@tiffeena
i feel this song yow, like etana is my girl right through , one love one heart. positivity over rocking negativity
@leonaflorence
I heard this sing on Facebook. Beautiful song and lyrics.
@LesterLewiskcm
Thank you Etana!
@Mojito1957
Ese song es mi vidad y sobre todo esa vos tan estrordinariamente bella a encontrado un espacio dentro de mi corazon YO AMO ESE SONG es super bellisimo
@ngala08
etana ...luv that voice
@DatNaturalGold
Love this girl 🤎🤎
@stellaa84
che voce stupenda ,piena di sentimento