Ishawna makes Sumfest return - Promises ‘safe but festive’ performance

When Reggae Sumfest stages its historic virtual staging of dancehall night later tonight, dancehall artiste Ishawna will be making her grand return to the 'Greatest reggae show on Earth'.

This will be the Equal Rights singer's first Sumfest performance since 2015 when she made her highly anticipated debut. She was billed for the show the following year but did not show up after severing ties with Downsound Records.

Ishawna says she's ready to deliver a 'safe but festive' performance.

"Bathe, powder unu neck and come out inna unu living room or wherever unu a go watch from because it's going to be festive. It's a taste of Reggae Sumfest so the performances are short but it's going to be short and spicy. Expect some of my hit songs. I went through a process of elimination and I picked the songs that were safe enough, but also the songs that will give people what they're expecting, authentic Ishawna in all her festivity," she laughed as she spoke to THE WEEKEND STAR via telephone. "We can't be too safe but yuh know me nuh have no luck, so we affi keep it pan a level where everyone can watch, children, everybody."

The Single and Quarantine singer shared that when Downsound Records' CEO, Joe Bogdanovich, reached out to her to be part of the show, she was a bit surprised but believed accepting the offer would be a good look for her career.

"At the end of the day, I guess he was looking at the bigger picture. It's a great look at the end of the day for both of us. It's a good opportunity and so when he reached out and asked if I was interested in doing it, I said okay," she said.

Ishawna says while she is excited to hit the stage tonight, her fans are even more excited.

Fans are excited

"I think my fans are excited to see me because I haven't done a virtual performance before. Throughout the whole pandemic I have been quiet where that is concerned. I haven't been live really and so I think they really want to see me live to interact with them through their screens. Plus the place lock down and the people dem waan likkle festivity and dem know me a go gi dem dat," she said.

When THE WEEKEND STAR spoke to Bogdanovich, he expressed that having watched Ishawna's musical growth over the years, he believed now was the perfect time to rehash the Sumfest relationship.

"I'm expecting a great performance from Ishawna. We used to work with her for a number of years and her songs are still holding up and she's really matured a lot. She's thrilled to be here and we're thrilled to have her. She fits perfectly into this year's show and I think she's going to show a lot of young artistes what it takes to excel in this business," he said.