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 With over 3 million albums sold, Lady Saw may very well be the hardest working woman in reggae, dancehall and hip-hop. Even if you don’t recognize the name, you know the voice. Her appearance on No Doubt’s Underneath It All earned her a Grammy; and not too long ago she had every young woman across the country singing, “I got ya man and you can’t do anything about it.”
Gwen Stefani, Missy Elliot, Remy Ma, Trina, Nicki Minaj, Foxy Brown, Michael Franti, Pharrell Williams, Beenie Man, Sizzla, Bounty Killer, Mr. Vegas, Vybz Kartel, Capelton and Spragga Benz. What do they all have in common? Lady Saw, who either voiced on a track or produced it. She is an innovator and collaborator. She is the ‘Queen of Dancehall’.
On September 7, 2010, the world will once again stood up and took notice when the ‘Queen’ released My Way, her 10th album. From her raw dancehall tunes, like “Healing” with Beenie Man and “Man is the Least”, to her more serious tunes, like “More Than a Woman”, Lady Saw has shown that she can deliver the goods no matter the audience. My Way is no exception to the rule.
The 16-track compilation includes both raw, uncut demonstrations of her lyrical prowess, as well as radio-ready girl-power anthems. “What I was trying to do, I was trying to please everybody,” said the artiste, “trying to give them something they could relate to.”
“Every Which Way Mi Go” and “Party Til December” are empowering tracks that are sure to be favorites of her female fans. Equally strong is “Five Minutes”, which pokes fun at some unfortunate males. “You know, everybody’s had a five-minute man or less,” said Lady Saw, smiling. And if you want bold, check out “I Can’t Wait” where the woman gets to tell the man what she wants. “You know, I like you,” said Lady Saw, “Can I take you home?”
A real standout tune on the album is a collaboration with Philly’s own hip-hop songstress Eve. “Girls will love it. It’s like ‘I Got Ya Man’, ‘He’s At My House’. Girls putting it on the ringtone.”
But the album isn’t solely made up of hard-hitting lyrics voiced on adrenaline pumping rhythms. On the softer side of things are tracks like “I’m A Woman”.
Born Marion Hall in Kingston, Jamaica, Lady Saw said that “the song ‘I’m A Woman’ is an introduction to Lady Marion Hall. Marion Hall talks to people. You know there’s another side of me, and a lot of people have been asking me for that. I did a performance at a jazz and blues festival, the last one in Jamaica, and blew everybody’s mind. And it was those types of songs and no Lady Saw. And it was being talked about for a long time.”
“So there’s a little bit of everything for everybody.”
However, the album, like Lady Saw’s career, isn’t without controversy, with some people accusing her of being too slack, raw or sexually explicit, with her lyrics. Her song “Beg U” from the “Summer Bounce” rhythm is sure to enflame some of her staunchest critics.
“Any gal who give way dem honey,
have a man and nah get no money,
dem must be fool or some big-head dummy.
Mi have nuh shame when mi beg yuh money.”
But, according to Lady Saw, “’Beg U’ isn’t even about begging money”. It was originally about begging buddy (sex); but she thought it was too raw and changed it. “I thought about how some women are scared to ask men for money; and some men are just plain mean. Don’t be shy about it because they gonna ask you for whatever they want to ask you. Ask for the money if you not getting it up front.”
This sincere lack of reserve on women’s issues has earned the Jamaican first lady a massive amount of female fans worldwide. She says that people remark on how her shows are always jammed-packed with women. “It’s because I’m a teacha.”
She’s also a game-changer. “I remember when I first came out, a lot of guys were singing about women but in a certain way that I didn’t like. I come out and teach the women how to embrace their sexuality, how to please their man and turn it, you know. So that’s why they’re at my shows. The things they want to say, I say. I give sex education to them.”
My Way is Lady Saw’s first album out of her production company Diva Records. The songstress was previously signed with VP Records.
One of her major gripes with the company was the turnaround on the product, something echoed by singers and musicians throughout the Caribbean entertainment industry. “It took many years for three albums to come out. I was just sitting on the shelf,” said Lady Saw. In comparison, Lady Saw only began working on this album in January 2010 and it’s ready to hit stores. Next up is an album from her alter ego, Marion Hall, due for release in a few months.
While it’s the love of the music and her fans that keeps her rolling out hits, the road isn’t always easy. “The toughest part of the business is not getting airplay, “said Marion. “In Jamaica, it’s about politics and the play being paid for. And sometimes you turn the radio on and all you hear is two male artistes for the whole day back and forth. They may drop in female artiste here or another male artiste there, but it’s mostly the two artistes for the whole day.”
Despite the lack of airplay on some stations, Lady Saw’s popularity keeps growing. How else can you explain her triple-platinum status?
But even with all of the successes, there are two things she wishes she’d done differently along the way. First, she should have had a lawyer handling her contracts.
Second, “I would deal with business and not put friendship in there. Some people are your friends, but they’re also business people; they’re looking out for themselves.” So to upcoming female artistes, she has these words of advice, “choose your friends wisely. Also, you don’t need to lay up with anyone to get a record deal. Once you have your talent, that’s all you need to use, not your body.”
Beyond the music, Lady Saw has a very active home life, having raised three adopted children. She gardens, she into cooking, and she’s a dog lover. In fact, she has approximately 50 dogs total on her three properties in Jamaica. Pitbulls, Cocker Spaniels, Rottweilers. Like her album, a little bit of something for everybody.
My Way, Lady Saw’s latest release, is now available at F.Y.E. stores and on iTunes. For more information on the artiste and to keep tabs on her upcoming appearances, logon to www.ladysaw.com.
Physical CD Track Listing:
1. Every Way Mi Go (free download)
2. Your Chick
3. Bigga Than
4. He Is At My House (Feat. Eve)
5. My Way
6. Party Till December
7. Tighta
8. Cyaan Get Me
9. Crazy Love
10. Me Hold Ya
11. Muscle Control (Feat. Camar)
12. 5 Minutes
13. Facebook
14. I Can't Wait (Feat. Ding Dong)*
15. I'm A Woman
*Track 14 is replaced with Beg U on digital download album
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PR Junction 
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