STREAMING AUDIO INTERVIEW
Growing up in Jamaica, dancehall sensation Lady Saw’s childhood was far from picturesque, but you’d hardly know it speaking with the confident, charming, and ultimately successful, music star. With an abusive father, she spent her teenage years ‘hustling’ on the streets of Kingston, using her feminine charms to stay ahead of the pack.
Frustrated by the male dominance of dancehall and reggae in her home country, she fought hard to have her voice heard, and given the chance would tear her male counterparts to shreds when stepping up to the mic at parties. Her approach won her a lot of fans, but she also attracted more than her fair share of criticism; the more musically conservative in Jamaica offended by her in-your-face lyrics and sexually explicit subject matter. But, as she explains to ITM, it’s not as if she was covering topics that the men hadn’t already done 10 times over, and more often than not with no regard for the offence it caused women.
Heading to Australia this month for shows in Sydney and Melbourne, and to tour as part of the Big Day Out. We caught up with the charismatic MC to find out what she has in store.
Jan 20 – Big Day Out, Gold Coast
Jan 24 – Beck’s Festival Bar, Sydney
Jan 25 – Big Day Out, Sydney
Jan 27 – The Espy, Melbourne
Jan 28 – Big Day Out, Melbourne
Feb 1 – Big Day Out, Adelaide
Feb 3 – Big Day Out, Melbourne
