Elegance & Earthiness: Etana

ETANA IS A RASTA.

But she doesn't have dreadlocks, is dressed like Billie Holiday on the cover of her debut CD, "The Strong One" (VP Records), and sings in a voice that's equally influenced by the last 20 years of American R&B (Jill Scott, India.Arie, Lauryn Hill) as it is the past 40 years of Jamaican music (Sizzla, Marcia Griffiths, Bob Marley).

She'll be one of two women headlining the Reggae Summerfest, which features Beres Hammond, Ky-Mani Marley, I-Wayne, Turbulence, Chuck Fender, Fire Star, Prestige, Ruth, New Kingston Band, The Iternals, Mr. Tex, Strykers Posse, S.T.O.R.M., Yawd Lynk, Passion Band, Image Band and Iration. (Check our Sound Bets blog for a series of video previews for many of the artists.)

But she's also one of the few women in reggae — period — let alone one singing cultural, political and original roots-reggae songs rather than chanting sex-saturated dancehall tunes. Not that she didn't go through that phase.

"The people that I was working with told me that the first song that I wrote — about a person getting rich, then losing everything and living on the roadside — said they couldn't make money off of that song," Etana said. "So I started writing raunchier lyrics, about sex and stuff, trying to fit in."

But when a five-year-old girl sang one of Etana's sexually charged tunes in front of her, it changed everything.

"It was embarrassing for me," Etana said. "I knew that was not my goal, not my intention. That's when I decided to write songs and do it the way that I do it."

Born Shauna McKenzie, she spent much of her pre-teen years in August Town, a rough suburb east of Kingston. Her family migrated to the U.S. in 1992 when Etana was 9, and she eventually went to college to be a nurse. But she soon dropped out and returned to Jamaica to pursue music, all while becoming a Rasta, which freaked out her Christian mother.

"I had a long perm going down to my shoulders," Etana said. "And when I [starting becoming Rasta] — I bald off my hair completely. My mother thought I was completely crazy. When I moved back to Jamaica, she double thought I was crazy."

But Etana's sonic mix of elegance and earthiness have paid off in the form of hit singles "Wrong Address," "Roots" and "Don't Forget" — and a slot in one of the biggest reggae festivals D.C.'s ever hosted.

» Reggae Summerfest, RFK Stadium, 2400 East Capitol St.; Sun., Sept. 7, 12 p.m.-10 p.m., $35-$80; 202-340-6399. (Stadium-Armory)

WEB ONLY:

Etana explains the story behind her "Wrong Address" song and video:

"My aunt called me when I was on tour with Richie Spice, and told me that she didn't get the job. I said, 'How you know?' She said, 'The man said him a call her back if anything come back up, but the position has already been filled.' You know, the regular spiel they give when they're not interested. And she walk out and she tell the girl, and the girl said, 'Next time, don't put the August Town address on the application.' She was saying, in a sarcastic way, 'How do you put the August Town address on the application? You're not going to get a job.' I just think it was unfair, because a lot of people come out of the garrison. I remember my mom used to tell me while she was working as a court recorder at the supreme court to not speak patois or not to say 'August Town,' because she didn't want people to know where she's really from. They automatically believe that when you come from the garrison, everything comes with it: the whole drama of the garrisons, or somebody might steal something because them know they're less fortunate. ... They just don't want that in their environment."

» To see more Etana music videos, visit our Sound Bets blog, which also features a series of postings spotlighting all the headliners at Reggae Summerfest.

VIDEO INTERVIEW BLOWOUT:

» The making of Etana's "Don't Forget" video:

» Natty B of Choice FM interviews Etana:

» DamonD of CaribbeanBeats Interviews Etana:

» Silverstar Sound interviews Etana:

» Chris Goldfinger of Radio 1 interviews Etana:

» Etana interviewed by Backyard TV:

» Etana talking at Tru-Juice Rebel Salute 2008:

Photos courtesy VP Records