Dancer Mad Michelle furthering career as recording artiste

Popular dancer Mad Michelle has clocked 20 years since earning the title of 'dancehall queen', and after several years of being off the scene, she said she has been carefully plotting a major comeback, though it may not be as a dancer.

"I'm furthering my career in entertainment. This year is a big year for me, though I was in the streets before I became a dancehall queen in 2003," Mad Michelle told THE WEEKEND STAR. "I had taken a timeout away from the dancehall when I became a mother, for about five years to focus on me and my children. But after I had my youngest, and felt like I could manage to focus again, is when I decided to come back and you know when you do that, you have to do come back strong. It's been a journey."

For more than two decades, the dancer has taken her passion for dance and music in Jamaica's streets to the screen and the stage, with her name being etched into the culture in popular hits including Everybody Dance by RDX and several of Elephant Man's top dancing singles. She has staked her claim as one of the creators of the Dutty Wine dance move. Now she is stepping into the recording studio. Mad Michelle, whose given name is Ann Marie McKoy, has conveyed that she does not want her name to be forgotten, "although I don't think it is possible".

"I remember when people used to say 'Ah wah kinda name dat?' or 'Ah one mad smaddy? Why would she give herself a name like dat?' But it really is unforgettable. I didn't even give myself the name, Elephant Man gave me it, and I worked with it, because mad just meant I was crazy skilled, sexy, daring and edgy," she said. "When you're in a male-dominated industry, you have to be fearless and that's the word that best describes me. I appreciate the people who understood me for that and never misinterpret it for me being a bully but holding my space or my own."

Though fearless, Mad Michelle revealed that she has a few minor concerns about transitioning to being an artiste. She has been featured as an artiste on singles such as Too Much Bull, a collaboration with Macka Diamond and other female dancers, and she expressed an interest in doing more in the field from then. But she dedicated most of her time to dancing. She is featured on a recent collaboration with M-Gee titled What More, which has been garnering support from the dancehall community.

" What More is a motivational song and I'm happy about it because me and M-Gee were on the same page with what he wanted. I also had the most patient engineer, Galaxy, to work with when I went to Richie Stephens' studio with my nervous self," she said.

"I'm still mindful as to how I approach this career as an independent artiste but when you have a great body of people and real friends, those who have become family, it makes feel reassured. I've been doing a lot of music-related stuff for some time and had the perspective of what it meant to write lyrics and record. But now I'm putting in the work needed to take it to the top. When my artiste career takes off, I know where I am now, I'm more than capable to balance the equation of being a mother and a public figure," Mad Michelle continued.