Arguably the most prolific female vocalist in present day Reggae singer/ so… Read Full Bio ↴Arguably the most prolific female vocalist in present day Reggae singer/ songwriter Etana has struck a cord with the masses and like any beautiful melody she’s winning the hearts of the people one song at a time.

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.

Wasting My Time
Etana Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I wish the rain could wash away my fears of you walking away
Cause at the end I would have wasting my time
I wish the rain could wash away my fears of you walking away
Cause at the end I would have wasting my time

Never the time to do this loving
cause it's never ever lasting
but it seems like the first kiss

still the reason for all my fears

I wish the rain could wash away my fears of you walking away
Cause at the end I would have wasting my time
I wish the rain could wash away my fears of you walking away
Cause at the end I would have wasting my time

Mama said never put your trust in flash
cause they would leave up pain in your chest
even when you give them your fast
They will always put you to stress

Always good in the good times we wanna do when the ruff time come
Scared of taking a chance you just might eat a pun ruff

I wish the rain could wash away my fears of you walking away
Cause at the end I would have wasting my time
I wish the rain could wash away my fears of you walking away
Cause at the end I would have wasting my time

Don't think that I'm crazy
Don't know where I been to
Between the lifes I'm allowed to survive
May not been right but it's true

I wish the rain could wash away my fears of you walking away
Cause at the end I would have wasting my time
I wish the rain could wash away my fears of you walking away
Cause at the end I would have wasting my time

Some people stay in love come what may
some even tear there are ... old and grey

Yeeaaahhhhhhhhh mmmnaaaaa...
ohheeyy ....
mhhh...
ey
oh
yeeeeaaaahhhhhhh heeeeyyyy...

I wish the rain could wash away my fears of you walking away
Cause at the end I would have wasting my time

I wish the rain could wash away my fears of you walking away
Cause at the end I would have wasting my time

Overall Meaning

In "Wasting My Time," Etana sings about the fear of her partner leaving her after investing a lot of time and energy into the relationship. She wishes for the rain to come and wash away her fears, but knows that if the fear becomes reality, then it would have all been for nothing. The lyrics also touch on the idea that love is unpredictable and can come to an end suddenly, even if it was intense and passionate from the beginning. The song's chorus repeats twice, emphasizing the fear of wasting time on a relationship that may not last.

The second verse introduces the idea of not trusting those who come into our lives quickly, as they can leave pain and stress behind. The trust issues extend to taking chances in love, as there is always the possibility of getting hurt or disappointed. Etana's verse seemingly reflects advice from her mother about avoiding "flashy" people and staying away from those who don't have good intentions.

The bridge of the song is introspective, with Etana questioning her own actions and motivations. She admits that she may not have made the right decisions in past relationships, but that the experiences were true to who she is. The song ends with Etana acknowledging that some people stay in love while others don't, but she wishes for the rain to wash away her fears regardless of what happens.

Line by Line Meaning

I wish the rain could wash away my fears of you walking away
I hope that the troubles caused by you separating from me can be washed away like rain

Cause at the end I would have wasting my time
I don't want to spend my time on something that ultimately won't work out

Never the time to do this loving
There's never a good time to love because it's never permanent

cause it's never ever lasting
Love isn't permanent and never lasts forever

but it seems like the first kiss
The first kiss seems to be the root of all my fears

still the reason for all my fears
The fear of losing someone still stems from that first kiss

Mama said never put your trust in flash
My mother warned me not to trust flashy people

cause they would leave up pain in your chest
They will only cause you grief and heartache

even when you give them your fast
Even if you offer them everything you have

They will always put you to stress
They will always cause you stress and anxiety

Always good in the good times we wanna do when the ruff time come
It's easy to be together during good times, but during rough times we hesitate to take a chance

Scared of taking a chance you just might eat a pun ruff
We're afraid to take risks because it could end up being worse than where we started

Don't think that I'm crazy
Please don't think I'm insane

Don't know where I been to
I don't even know my own past or what I've been through

Between the lifes I'm allowed to survive
Between the different lives or paths I could take to survive

May not been right but it's true
They may not be the right choices, but they are true to myself

Some people stay in love come what may
Some people remain in love no matter what happens

some even tear there are ... old and grey
While others even die in love, still in each other's arms when they're old and gray

Yeeaaahhhhhhhhh mmmnaaaaa...
Various sounds that reflect emotion

ohheeyy ....
Another sound that reflects emotion

mhhh...
Another sound that reflects emotion

ey
Another sound that reflects emotion

oh
Another sound that reflects emotion