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.
People Talk
Etana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's what they do
But they don't understand
How mi still a push an' go through
Yes, they laugh
They call me names
But they just don't get it
When dem see me, dem just keep on talkin'
Me nuh see them, I just keep on walkin'
I've got my pride
Me nah go show my bad side
Some a dem see me as a big pushover
Let me fi dead, dem think I'm gonna kill over
Oh no, not I
I and I will survive
Never let them get you down
Never let them see you frown
Never let them take away your levity
Live your life and be free
Never let them get you down
Never let them see you frown
Never let them lead you astray, starting today
Live your life and live it your way
When you go through heartache
When you feelin' pain
When you en' up in a desert
An' a wonda why the hell it nah rain
When dem pass dem judgement
And every word lef' a stain
When dem talk up di things dem
Just fi mash up yuh life an' give you bad name
Dem think yu weak but a deso dem blunda
Bad mind and think dem lef' yu business asunder
Don't give dem that power
Show dem you can be stronger
Jus tek up yuself an' mek di whole a dem wonda
How yu get up when dek a try keep you under
Don't believe their lies
Show dem that you will rise
Never let them get you down
Never let them see you frown
Never let them take away your levity
Live your life and be free
Never let them get you down
Never let them see you frown
Never let them lead you astray, starting today
Live your life your way
I say people talk
That's what they do
But they don't understand
How mi still a push an' go through
Yes, they laugh
Some call me names
But they just don't get it
How dem see mi a hol' my head up just the same
When dem see me, dem just keep on talkin'
And me nuh see them, I just keep on walkin'
I've got my pride
Me nah go show my bad side
Some a dem see me as a big pushover
Let me fi dead, dem think I'm gonna kill over
Oh no, not I
I and I will survive
Never let them get you down
Never let them see you frown
Never let them take away your levity
Live your life and be free
Never let them get you down
Never let them see you frown
Never let them lead you astray, starting today
Live your life your way
Never let them get you down
Never let them see you frown
Never let them take away your levity
Live your life and be free
Never let them get you down
Never let them see you frown
Never let them take away your levity
Live your life and be free
Get you down, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
Don't let them get you down, no, no, no, no, no, no
I got my pride, I got my pride
I'm standing firm, I'm standing firm
Stronger, yeah, eh
They can't do me like that
What?
Miss it
Etana's "People Talk" is a song about perseverance despite the criticism and judgment of others. The first verse explains that people talk about her but they don't understand how she continues to push through. Even though they call her names and laugh at her, she keeps her head up high and maintains her pride. In the chorus, Etana reiterates the importance of not letting others get you down or take away your joy and freedom. She encourages listeners to live their lives on their own terms and not be led astray by the negative opinions of others.
The second verse delves deeper into the pain that comes from the words and actions of others. Etana describes the feeling of being in a desert during a drought and watching judgmental words leave stains on her reputation. Despite this, she does not let others define her as weak and instead shows her strength by rising up from under their negativity. The bridge reinforces that she will not be pushed around by others and that her pride remains intact.
People Talk was released on Etana's fifth studio album "Reggae Forever" on March 8, 2018. It was the first single released from the album and was produced by Jamaica's legendary musician and producer Clive Hunt. "Reggae Forever" earned Etana her first Grammy nomination for the Best Reggae Album category in 2019.
Line by Line Meaning
People talk
People talk about others
That's what they do
It's natural for people to talk about others
But they don't understand
People talking about them do not understand the situation of the person they are talking about
How mi still a push an' go through
Despite what people say, the person is still able to persevere
Yes, they laugh
People laugh at the person
They call me names
People use derogatory labels for the person
But they just don't get it
People laughing and calling names don't understand the person's experience
How dem see mi a hol' my head up just the same
Despite the negative words said by others, the person remains confident
When dem see me, dem just keep on talkin'
When people see the person, they keep talking
Me nuh see them, I just keep on walkin'
The person ignores them and continues walking
I've got my pride
The person has self-respect and confidence
Me nah go show my bad side
The person won't show their negative emotions to others
Some a dem see me as a big pushover
Some people view the person as weak
Let me fi dead, dem think I'm gonna kill over
Some think the person will fail or give up
Oh no, not I
The person is determined not to give up
I and I will survive
The person will survive despite what others say
Never let them get you down
Don't let others' words discourage or hurt you
Never let them see you frown
Don't show others that their words have affected you
Never let them take away your levity
Don't let others take away your liveliness and energy
Live your life and be free
The person should live their life on their own terms
When you go through heartache
When the person experiences emotional pain
When you feelin' pain
When the person experiences physical or emotional pain
When you en' up in a desert
When the person feels lost and hopeless
An' a wonda why the hell it nah rain
The person is wondering why things aren't getting better
When dem pass dem judgement
When people make assumptions and judge the person
And every word lef' a stain
Assumptions and negative words leave a lasting impact
When dem talk up di things dem
When people gossip about the person
Just fi mash up yuh life an' give you bad name
Gossip is meant to tear down the person's life and reputation
Dem think yu weak but a deso dem blunda
People assume the person is weak, but they are wrong
Bad mind and think dem lef' yu business asunder
Jealous people think they have ruined the person's life
Don't give dem that power
The person shouldn't let others have control over their emotions or thoughts
Show dem you can be stronger
The person should show others they are capable of being strong
Jus tek up yuself an' mek di whole a dem wonda
The person should pick themselves up and make others wonder how they did it
How yu get up when dek a try keep you under
Others are surprised the person is still standing despite everything said against them
Don't believe their lies
The person shouldn't believe what others say about them
Show dem that you will rise
The person should show others they will overcome and succeed
Get you down, oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no
Don't let others discourage you
I got my pride, I got my pride
The person has self-respect and self-worth
I'm standing firm, I'm standing firm
The person is standing strong
Stronger, yeah, eh
The person is becoming even stronger through their experiences
They can't do me like that
Others won't be able to bring the person down
What?
Expression of disbelief or defiance
Writer(s): Shauna Gayle Melissa Mckenzie, Carol Dexter Copyright: Greensleeves Publishing Limited
Contributed by Chase A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@dookeyb9986
2023 & this song is still as lovely as it was the first time I heard it ❤
@du-mas
🥰💪🏿💪🏿❤️🔥💯🔥🌄🎉
Big up
. Yah 💞💓💗
@flygirlgeorgiaunstoppable4634
She need to get an award 🥉 for this song 🎧 I love it 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@elx2482
Agree 💯%.......in concert in New Orleans TONITE!!!
@emmajules3729
Happens
@michellebeckstrom6110
This lady and her talent are gifts from God.
@nicholaslungren9365
Who is listening during 2020? This song cannot die!
@janicesmith6328
I agree
@nigelicarogers8557
2021 <3
@kenny7974
I was in prayer and I ended up listening to this song. Thank you Lord Jesus for the encouragement! 🙏🏽