About Me
The quintessential Jamaican singer / songwriter, Tanya Stephens is equally adept at blazing the latest dancehall riddims as she is at blessing an acoustic guitar-driven ballad with lyrics that are insightful, relevant, comical, and often scathing...life and love observed with the honest eyes of a child, yet processed and returned to her audience with uncommon maturity and melody. On Rebelution, Tanya Stephens once again displays her wit and musical sensibilitiesTanya has scored international hits in the past with the classics Goggle and You Nuh Ready Yet,.songs still guaranteed to move the crowd in any setting. Her last album Gangsta Blues yielded the one-drop anthem Its A Pity, on the Doctors Darling riddim. The song was clearly one of the biggest tunes of 2004, and arguably Tanyas career, and introduced the rest of the world to Tanya Stephens, the single found its way onto commercial radio and eventually video outlets like MTV Jams. The success of that single, followed by the critical acclaim from numerous media outlets (including the NY Times, Village Voice, Source, and Vibe Magazine) helped propel Tanya to the forefront of Jamaican music, and is the reason that nearly 2 years after its release, Gangsta Blues remains on the Billboard Reggae chart.The obvious difference between Tanya and any other artiste coming out of Jamaica is her extremely varied fan base. Stephens following represents age 8 to 80 and encompasses people from beyond every boundary. When asked what she considers to be her most valuable assets, Tanya replied Transparency and Consistency. I believe if people want to gamble they will go to a casino. There shouldnt be any risk involved in walking into a record shop and using your hard earned cash to buy an album. Thats why I had to make sure I kept honing my craft until I could confidently invite you to pick up any Tanya Stephens album entirely off of trust, secure in the knowledge I will never violate it!On the 1st single These Streets, an airy acoustic guitar track, Tanya pleads with her thug-love to realize that these streets dont love you like I do. On this, her 6th LP, Tanya is poised to reach even greater international acclaim and finally be recognized by the masses as one of the greatest talents to emerge from Jamaica. Rebelution features the musings of a songbird who is vulnerable enough to feel the pain, but tough enough to live through it.With a militant swagger, Rebelution is an edgy narrative of a street smart guerilla poet who continues to break the stereotype of what a female Jamaican artist should sound like. Smart and sexy, jagged and cunning, the lyrics flow out of the speakers and attack the unfortunate victims of her sharp tongue. This is not a passive listeners record, nor is it a record for the weak hearted. It screams and bites in the gentlest way possible, with back handed compliments and sometimes less-than-reaffirming opinions. Armed with a fervent voice and classy demeanor Tanya tells her truth the way she sees it, uncompromising and uncensored. The evolution from the love scorned Gangsta Blues is apparent, but does not stray from the autobiographical, if anything Rebelution is the next chapter in her story. Already a cult hero in the Reggae industry, this album has Tanya Stephens crying from the hills and streets of Kingston Viva La Rebelution!
