Reggae ladies thrill at Rock and Groove Xperience

In December 2019, four fast-rising female artistes were linked by the 'Rock and Groove' rhythm. Naomi Cowan, Jaz Elise, Lila Ike and Sevana gave music lovers Peace Of Mind, Rock and Groove, Sweet Inspiration and Haul and Pull, respectively, over the rub-a-dub style rhythm by Grammy Award-winning producer Jason 'J-Vibe' Farmer and international reggae artiste Protoje.

Four years later, after enjoying massive growth in each of their careers, the four women reunited at Dubwise Cafe on March 8, International Women's Day, for 'The Rock and Groove Xperience'.

"I think the divine order wanted it this way. We literally set the day and then we were like, 'Oh! it's also Women's Day, that's great!' Then people kept saying it as we posted about it. So it just worked out that way," said Sevana.

The Rock and Groove Xperience was a casual jam session-style event seeing hundreds pouring into close quarters to celebrate the magic of female energy, talent and camaraderie. The headline performers graced the stage together, performing favourites from each of their catalogues to hear the excited audience singing lyrics word for word. Also performed were mixes of classic tunes from veteran female reggae artistes, including the likes of Queen Ifrica, Marcia Griffiths and Etana.

True to the spirit of 'Wurl Sound', the host sound system from dynamic duo Lila Ike and Josh Skints that has since its inception in 2023 given platforms to many upcoming artistes through concert popups and jam sessions, the Rock and Groove Xperience stage was opened to any female artistes in the audience willing to take the mic. Creative artiste Mad Appstrak jumped at the opportunity to showcase her talent and took to the stage to rap lyrics smoothly over a reggae beat.

Also taking to the stage was up-and-coming artiste Joby Jay, who grabbed the mic to sing Bare, a song from her newly released EP, Love Levels.

Another highlight of the event was Sevana performing for the first time live Keep Going, a song she had released that same day. Speaking with THE STAR about it, the Mango singer had this to say:

"It was my first time singing it ( Keep Going), and what a better way to debut it than with people who really support me, really support women in Jamaican music and just sharing in positive good vibes; it was perfect. I'm grateful, I'm feeling grateful. It looks like everybody loves the song. It was a special, beautiful time."

The evening not only had overwhelming support from patrons, but from artistes across the Jamaican creative space as well. Looking across the crowd, one would have been sure to spot the likes of Protoje, Rohan Marley, Bounty Killer, Marlon James and Storm Saulter.

Paradise Plum singer Naomi Cowan, who recently held her own event, 'Welcome To Paradise', celebrating young female talent, emphasised the importance of more events of this nature.

"We have to recognise that in order for [Jamaican music] to grow and make a mark, it starts with collaborative efforts. When you look [at when] reggae and dancehall was crossing over, it was a result of multiple artistes being at the forefront. I think we've forgotten the power of unity, the power of collaboration...because there's always more power in numbers. So having events where we're supporting each other, it's not an ego thing, it's not a one star kind of a vibe, we actually will move forward faster. There's this concept called Ubuntu, the South African concept of 'if you want to go fast go alone, but if you want to go forward, go together.'"

Already, fans of Lila Ike, Naomi Cowan, Sevana and Jaz Elise are clamouring for more of the Rock and Groove quartet. The wait, according to Cowan, won't be long.

"What you can expect from all of us moving forward is more Rock and Groove Xperiences. We're already talking about a tour and bringing it to other places, other countries. There's something powerful that happened in 2020 when we had the [BBC Radio 1Xtra Rock and Groove Riddim Freestyle]. I think it's important to never take advantage of the divine timing of all of us just working together and doing our own careers side by side...I just want to create more spaces for girls to be girls," Cowan said.