Lisa Hyper says Sting début was her best Christmas

If Lisa Hyper were to write an essay about a Christmas to remember, she would title it 'My First Sting'.

The dancehall artiste said that performing at the event dubbed 'the greatest one-night reggae and dancehall show on earth' 13 years ago is a holiday moment she will never forget.

"I was a little bit nervous but what I had to do was much more important than my nerves, and that was to go out there on the stage and do my best," she said of her 2009 Sting debut at Jamworld in Portmore, St Catherine.

The Sculpture deejay said she was unsure how she would be received by the audience at the event which was held on Boxing Day.

"It was the year when the picture came out," she said in reference to the release of an infamous picture that appeared to show her performing fellatio, a sexual act which was then tabooed in dancehall.

"The place was very tense, (Sting promoter Isaiah) Laing and (promoter) Heavy D had nets in place, just in case the fans started throwing bottles, but I came out triumphant at the end of my performance," she said.

A mentee of dancehall legend Vybz Kartel, Lisa Hyper grew up in Golden Meadows in Stony Hill, St Andrew, before relocating to Waterford, Portmore, St Catherine. In her childhood days she spent Christmas in both communities.

"My most memorable Christmas was when I was living in Stony Hill but spent Christmas in Waterford. I got to go with Adidja [Vybz Kartel] and family and friends," she said.

Looking back, the deejay said that Christmas as a child was more fun than nowadays.

"I wasn't busy doing shows at Christmas time when I was smaller and my family was more together. It was also more fun when I was younger because now my family is all over the place, so current Christmas has been lonely," she said.