Lanae celebrates her university degree

Singer-songwriter Lanae has never been shy about the importance of education in her life, even after facing some of the tallest hurdles.

While she knew she had talent to fall back on, the singer knew her university journey had to be completed. Now, she's making space on her shelf for more awards. On Tuesday, Lanae showed off her bachelor of science degree in management studies, earned with upper second-class honours, which she collected from The University of the West Indies.

"Who wants to start something and not want to finish or reach their goal? I know I certainly wouldn't want to know that happened. I worked for the first couple of years and when it was necessary to take a break, I took it. I always knew I'd complete and I wanted to make my parents proud," Lanae told THE WEEKEND STAR. "They are serious about education. I am the first from my immediate family to earn my degree. I can't wait for graduation in November."

Her management studies have served her well. With first-hand knowledge of business and finance, she said she has a better understanding of how to navigate the music industry to achieve her goals. And 2022 will find her in the role of ambassador for a financing firm. As for her post-graduation plans, she already has a few goals in mind.

Lanae said: "I am feeling good that I can now fully focus on music and have so much new music coming this year. A lot of persons think it doesn't make sense to invest so much in a university education, but I learnt so much. It really helps to build character. I'm also considering some serious business ventures."

Her manager, Carlington Wilmot, said that it meant a lot to be present when she collected the envelope with her degree and praised her ability to balance work and school.

"I'm proud she finished her mission. People were saying artistes in school lose focus but she didn't. I do know sometimes she appeared stressed out," he shared.

The projects they were working on moved at a slower pace to facilitate Lanae's school schedule and moreso exams, but the team is back on track with recording and is preparing for the video shoot for the single Nothing Fi Show, which is produced by Snowcone.

"It doesn't matter what skill a person has, it is important to be educated in business and how to apply it, because you never know when the music industry is going to fail you or slow down. What helps when focused on artiste development, is to not make them feel like they are under pressure to reach a certain goal and I applied that same approach with her. We made each process an event, [had] fun or took trips when we needed to discuss ideas. I feel proud of Lanae like a me earn the degree," Wilmot said.