Tanzie wants to make her own mark

As the daughter of two veteran reggae musicians, 21-year-old Tanzania Barrett, who goes by the stage name Tanzie, is beginning to carve her own way in the music industry.

Feeling no insistence on living up to the reputation of her celebrity parents, Queen Ifrica and Tony Rebel, this emerging artiste just wants to make music she can be proud of.

"Growing up seeing my mother and father do music and succeed to the extent in which they have, I wouldn't look at it as me feeling pressure to live up to a certain expectation; rather, I say I feel more motivated to grow myself to live up to the standard they [have set] or even surpass the bar they themselves have set," she told THE STAR.

Growing up in Spanish Town, St Catherine, with her grandaunt and granduncle, she says she has always wanted to break out into the music industry but suffered from stage fright for a very long time.

"Music was something that I've always loved, and getting started on my own musical journey really just took me getting over my fear of the stage and of other people hearing me sing. I'm pretty early on in my journey. I've been practising my own music for about two years now with minor accomplishments, but so far I can say it's definitely a learning experience, and I am definitely encouraged to continue learning," Tanzie explained.

In June of this year, she released her first single, Toxicology, a dancehall and R&B fused track.

"I am a person who can't write unless it's something happening to or around me, so all of my songs come from either personal experiences or experiences I watch others have. This song, in particular, was written based on three people in my life who shall remain nameless, and just different toxic behaviours I've experienced and seen," she told of the track.

According to Tanzie, breaking out in the Jamaica music industry is especially challenging for women based on the many hurdles they must overcome that men seldomly have to deal with.

"Personally, I think being a woman in the music industry in itself is a strain and makes things harder because women have to endure certain things, men don't have to. Now that isn't an excuse to not work hard and try for what you want, but I would say that one of the biggest challenges faced for me is getting the right exposure and doing work with the right people. Nowadays, majority only listen to songs about scamming; they don't really want to hear what you have to say," she shared.

Notwithstanding, Tanzie has big plans for the future.

"In the next five years, I would like to have produced at least three top-tier albums and have a bigger and always growing fan base. We are working towards being amongst the greats," Tanzie says of her hopes in the coming years.