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The Lounge of the Renaissance Hotel in Chemnitz/Germany
is always a good adress for interesting interviews with jamaican
artistes, even in winter time. Since a while Tanya Stephens
is living in Stockholm, recording a new album. Just befor
her Christmas Jamaica trip she did a couple of shows in german
clubs. In their first Interview together Nadine and Peanut
talked with her about her new project, the german language
and album Thank You's…
Germaican Observer: This is your first
visit to Germany - what did you expect before you came here
and how is it now for you?
Tanya Stephens: I really didn't know what to expect. Until
Rodney (of Kingstone Soundsystem from Cologne) called and
said: "Come over" I just never had no connections with Germany
at all. So when I came here and people were singing along
with the songs I was in shock - it was a pleasant shock. That
was a very nice surprise! You're supposed to know that on
our side of the world everything we get is straight from America.
So we would'nt really know what's going on here until we come.
That's why it's good when we can come and see for ourselves,
you know. The surprise is very pleasant and I'm happy, now
I can talk with authority. Everybody usually say: "Oh - the
French is such a romantic language and German is harsh", but
then I come here and listen to everybody and it sounds so
cute! I'm watching the guys talking like "wow...".
G.O.: When you're going back to Jamaica
now, will you go into the studio and record some tunes?
T.S.: I don't think I will go into the studio very much.
I mean, one of my best friends is now producing, she is also
an artist as well Cecile. We've been friends since before
I had my child. So when she is doing her projects and if she
ask me, like the last track that I did for her on the Chiney
Gal riddim. I have missed out on so much and have a lot of
catching up to do.
G.O.: Could you tell us about your musical
ambitions you have done a Rock type album recently, it is
not that much in a reggae or dancehall traditional way like
the two albums that you did before and what can we expect
from you in the future?
Tanya.: I myself don't even know what to expect from me,
anywhere the wind blow, and I don't feel like I want to limit
myself to anything. I love Dancehall very much, that is my
nature and my culture, but I don't think that just because
I am from dancehall that I can't do nothing else….so anything
I feel like I wanna do I just do it, if it works it works
and if it don't I had fun.
This album I really love (the new one that I am doing in Sweden
now) I got to be more expressive on it and there is a lot
more of Tanya Stephens on it, just because I come from Jamaica
doesn't mean that I have to continue saying no problem…. sometimes
there is problem, sometimes I don't feel like smiling, sometimes
me miserable and upset….mi just human and no inna di smiling
thing.
Different working experience, totally from Kingston, yuh know
yuh in the studio with six men behind yuh and dem a say "hey
mi wah voice to before the time up" and yuh have to rush.
We spend two years making this albuo mem we made about thirty
tracks and then we had great problems picking which ones we
want to choose….which is very new to me….I could make an album
in one week in Jamaica.
G.O.: Did you get some new experiences
in doing an album while producing that album in Sweden?
T.S.: Yeah, very new because I had a lot more music in
my music which yuh know the basic dancehall in mostly like
Drum and Bass and probably a sample….But now there is a lot
more instruments and I got to learn that music is so big and
I had a lot more guitars, I never had guitars in any track
I had done before. It felt natural….one of the tracks that
I did I was on my lunch break and I was missing my daughter
(she was still in Jamaica) and I started to cry in the studio,
which for me is not natural because bad man no bawl and I
started to write down what I was feeling and we dumped what
we were working on earlier and turn that into a song and that
is one of the tracks on my new record. I have never been so
emotional….I am normally so rough and harsh, but it was nice
being completely feminin and maternal.
G.O.: With most Jamaican artistes focusing
their topics on crime and violence, on being bad, did you
get a different point of view from a far while living outside
Jamaica?
T.S.: Yes, living outside Jamaica makes you more rounded
and you learn that you can't really force your personality
on other people…. I am far more tolerant.
G.O.: Could we expect you to probably
perform at one of the Festivals here in Germany in Summer?
T.S.: I would love to, I definitely must come back, maybe
on my own time and experience some more of the place.
G.O.: When you do start recording again
in Jamaica are you gonna go back to your old style or also
do the stuff that you are doing now, and how do you think
Jamaicans will react to that?
T.S.: That is a very interesting question, I have no clue….I
love the old stuff that I used to do and I think there must
be some way to form a bridge between the two. If Jamaicans
love the old stuff that is great but I have to live for myself,
for Tanya, I have to please myself because I am the one standing
on stage performing those songs and I feel like I am cheating
people if I don't enjoy what I am doing.
G.O.: Back in the days you used to do
a lot of pro-women songs, will you still be doing that?
Tanya.: I will still be doing those songs because I think
the relationship between men and women needs to be improved….
sometimes we get taken for granted.
G.O.: You now have dreadlocks and before
you left you didn't and you are now doing songs that are not
so hard core, do you think that people are gonna associate
you with Twiggy?
Tanya.: I am not rastafarian and they will see my personality
coming through….they will see my behaviour….they will hear
my words and I won't sound like no rastafarian they have ever
seen before. I am not anti-Rasta…. I am not a Rastafarian
and it would be wrong to promote myself as a that.
G.O.: Are there any collaborations on
your new Album?
T.S.: So far I only have one collaboration and it is with
Lil Kim, we did a tune before for her and it didn't make it
to her album because they did bootleg a lot of her songs and
she recorded new stuff, so when I was doing my project I called
her up and she came in…. it is a very strong tune, harsh we
talk about people who come into the business and sing about
the ghetto when they have never been there and we think of
that as being a violation of others people's personality.
G.O.: I have seen a promotinal copy of
your album and in your Thank Yous, you thank your mother,
but that is not really bigging her up what is that all about?
T.S.: As usual everthing I do I keep it real and they
ask me to my Thank Yous and I said who am I gonna thank, cause
if I do it I am not gonna be saying nice things. My mother
is somebody who I appreciate for having me, but there are
more things that she should have and could have done….so I
am not gonna be hypocrite and say "Thank you Mom," it is a
weird way of putting it across but she will get the message.
I also big up my dancehall producers who don't pay me no royalty,
me still vex.
G.O.: Thank You for the open interview.
We hope to see you back in summer!
T.S.: Definetly. Thank You
Nadine Reid & Peanut Vendor, G.O. Crew, Leipzig/Germany
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