SINGER Tanya Stephens said that she is continuing to do what is necessary for her to stay in the music game.
In her wry, no-holds barred, matter-of-fact style, just like her music, Stephens was speaking to Splash following a stinging two-hour set at the Triple Century Sports Bar in New Kingston on Wednesday as part of the live music festival — Kingston Music Week.
“Me work and make the entertainment industry, not the other way around. The entertainment industry nuh mek me. So, although it hard out there, we continue to make music, perform and tour,” she said.
Stephens’s last release, the digital album Guilty, went to the market in December last year.
“Guilty is doing well. We had just released it digitally, but the fans who prefer a physical CD were grumbling so we had to satisfy them. So the CD for Guilty was just released yesterday [Tuesday],” she said.
Guilty is on Tarantula Records, Stephens’ own imprint which she co-owns with business partner Andrew Henton. The lead single from this set, Corners of My Mind featured recording artiste-cum television producer and presenter Sanjay Ramanand.
Stephens, who broke onto the scene in the 1990s, was in high spirits following her performance on Wednesday, noting that she was among friends and just delivered as they wanted.
She took to the stage inside the venue operated by international cricketer Chris Gayle at 11:15 pm, and at 1:30 am she was still taking requests from eager patrons who wanted to hear their favourite Stephens tune, some of which were the less than popular tracks off her albums over the years.
Stephens was her usual self during the set and drew for the hits which have made her a household name.
The tracks, many of which empower women, went over well with the predominantly female audience, who roared their approval once the opening bars of the respective songs began to be played.
Dressed in full black and sporting what has now become her signature, sunglasses, Stephens dropped Handle the Ride, Slip Saddle, Nuh Ready Fi Dis Yet, Boom Wuk, Good Ride, and What Your Story, and by then her audience had become a chorus.
She slowed the tempo dropping What’s Your Story?, Can’t Breathe, and After You on the popular Drop Leaf riddim.
In-between in true Tanya Stephens style she dispensed advice specifically as it related to man-woman relationships and sex, declaring: “Mi a big woman, turn 41 this year so mi nuh business with nobody.”
We Can Do That, Home Alone, Rescue, Tek Him Back, What a Day, Little White Lie punctuated and accentuated her on-stage banter.
Her set should have ended with the monster hits These Streets from her 2006 album Rebelution and It’s a Pity from 2004’s Gangsta Blues, but her audience would have none of it and demanded and received more from the St Mary-born artiste.
Stephens was ably supported by her Blow Wow band.