thebahamasweekly.com - Celebrity Edition this Saturday on ArtOvation w/TaDa radio with Tanya Stephens

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Last Updated: Dec 29, 2011 - 2:18:31 AM

Celebrity Edition this Saturday on ArtOvation w/TaDa radio with Tanya Stephens
Jul 29, 2011 - 1:02:14 PM

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Nassau, Bahamas - ArtOvation with TaDa is a weekly one-hour radio show covering Issues, interviews and introspection related to the developing and emerging arts and entertainment industries of the Bahamas.

This Saturday, July 9th at 8am tune in to ArtOvation live on Star 106.5 FM www.star106fm.com

TANYA STEPHENS brings a welcome female sensibility to the male-dominated dancehall scene. Born Vivienne Tanya Stephenson, Stephens was steeped in everything from calypso to American soul as a child. When she started rhyming as a teenager, she found herself bringing calypso's witty double entendres and a melodic singing voice (as well as strong toasting) to the table. She hooked up with producer Barry O'Hare for her first album, 1994's Big Tings A Gwan, which launched hits like "Kick Way" and "I Bet You Miss Me." In 1998 Stephens moved to Sweden, where she recorded alternative rock tracks, of all things, for Warner Bros. Needless to say the move didn't last -- she missed dancehall dreadfully, and within three years she was back in Jamaica, hanging around recording studios, armed with a burning creative streak. She released the refreshing and savvy Gangsta Blues in 2004 on VP Records.

Her album Rebelution was released in August 2006,[2] and the first single "These Streets" was a number one hit in the Caribbean staying on Tempo's Chart at number 1 for more than 4 weeks. The album was totally sold out in Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean. The track "Rosa" is a tribute to Rosa Parks.[3]

Her early material was lyrically typical of dancehall and drew comparisons with Lady Saw, along with whom she was proclaimed "the top female artists in Jamaica" in 1998 by the Washington Post, but later developed beyond what she called "the same old four topics" to 'reality' themes and even lyrics critical of homophobia. Social scientist Clinton Hutton said of her: "She is very intuitively intelligent and deftly tackles relevant social issues".

In 2007, Stephens was awarded a scholarship by Resource Development International to study for a Business Management degree via the internet from the University of Sunderland.

Her latest album Infallible, was released in 2010. Stephens has a daughter, Kelly, born in 1994.

Bedouin Soundclash reference Tanya's hit "Yuh Nuh Ready Fi Dis Yet" in "Living In Jungles" from the album Sounding a Mosaic.
(Sources: Wikipedia and Rhapsody.com)