Etana, on what it took to be on top of the charts

At only eight, Jamaican singer Shauna McKenzie, popularly known as Etana, sang for an audience for the first time.

Her aunt Grace was doing the laundry, and together, they started singing the “Greatest Love of All” by the late American singer Whitney Houston.

“I learned that I had a voice when I was about eight years old in August town, sitting by my aunt Grace while she was hand washing clothes. We sang, and when I opened my eyes, there were people looking at me over the fence,” Etana says.

Her small performance opened doors to her musical journey, because she was asked to sing at a local event in her town.

“Then is when I knew I had a voice that people wanted to hear, but I never thought about becoming a singer until I was in my 20s. Before that, I had dreams of becoming a doctor just like any other young person,” she explains.

Now she is one of the most successful female reggae artistes with a music portfolio that ranges from dancehall to R&B and Afro-beat, among other sounds.

Her beauty and charm make her effortlessly command the attention of people in a room. But this was not always the case. As a young girl, she was more of a tomboy, thanks to the many male cousins who were always around her.

“I was the only girl for a long time. I did everything the boys did, I was Superman at one time and a cowboy playing gun war the next. My grandmother cared for us most of the time as my mother was a court reporter travelling from parish to parish,” Etana explains.

“My parents separated when I was four years old. For most of my childhood, it was my mother and grandmother. I later migrated to the US, where I joined middle school, and then college.”

But her education was put on hold when she was in college after music came calling again. She quit nursing school.

“But I went back, and I am now about to finish my studies. It is always good to have an education. Music is my passion, but I also have other ambitions for myself. I want to operate my own facility. However, I do not just want to hire educated and qualified people, I also want to be able to be hands-on, and learn how it all works,” she says.

With 10 years’ experience as a performing artiste, Etana has eight albums under her belt, and was the first woman to be nominated for a Grammy award in the Reggae category in the last two decades. She has also had a number one song on the top 100 New Zealand music charts.

However, it has not all been rosy climbing the ladder to number one. There were times when she felt vulnerable, even though she never showed it.

“All these achievements did not come easy, behind it all is a world filled with hard work that requires perseverance and inner strength,” Etana cautions.

So how has she been able to strike a balance between her music career that requires her to travel the world and being a mother?

“I am who I am every day, therefore, I do not have to adjust when I am home because I am the same person. My children know that I am a singer and sometimes I travel.
Sometimes they are able to travel with me and sometimes not. I do not allow my life to interrupt theirs, when I am home, I give them the most love and the most undivided attention.”

Her hope is that the Kenyan music industry continues to grow, “There is much room for improvement but I have no doubt that those improvements will be achieved swiftly,” she concludes.