An inspiring figure who brought feminist consciousness to the dancehall.
About Tanya Stephens
Artist Biography
Tanya Stephens carved out her place in dancehall by confronting sexism head-on. With her 1996 breakout hit, “Yuh Nuh Ready Fi Dis Yet,” the Jamaican singer (born Vivienne Stephenson in 1973) threw down the gauntlet, offering sex-positive taunts from a defiantly feminist perspective. In the second half of the ’90s, she remained a central presence in Caribbean music. Oscillating between skeletal dancehall and rootsier, more melodic styles of reggae, she released multiple albums, dozens of singles, and duets with singers like Shabba Ranks, Bounty Killer, and Lady Saw. For 2001’s Sintoxicated, she moved to Sweden and experimented with ambitious fusions of pop, R&B, and even country. But she returned to reggae with 2004’s Gangsta Blues, and, in the years since, she has continued to develop an unreservedly personal style of songwriting, treating themes of love, sex, and spirituality with equal aplomb.
Hometown
St. Mary, Jamaica
Genre
Reggae
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