Nadine Sutherland – A woman who continues to reinvent herself

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Her voice is recognized as one of the best in reggae music. Her stage performances and ability to capture emotions with words have left audiences swooning. She has a wide range of fans waiting to see what is next. There are few artistes whose career intrigues different generations, and our Woman Empowered is one who continues to span the generations. She is an artist, a legend whose talents are respected and admired by people all over the world.

During her time in the industry, she has not only shown her work as a musical genius, she has also created her own business enterprise, Nadsipadsi Enterprises, to coordinate her many interests and projects, as well as being the spokesperson for Supligen Soy, a Nestle-owned nutritional replacement popular in the Caribbean.

At the Canadian Reggae Music Awards in 2008, her album was nominated in the ‘Top Reggae CD/Album (International) category, while a single from the album, “Big Tingz”, was nominated as ‘Best Reggae Single (International). She has appeared as a judge on the TV show Digicel Rising Stars, written for the Jamaica Observer, and been a committee member for the charity Sisters to Sisters.

In today’s overtly sexual and demanding music industry, Nadine Sutherland has found a way to move through it with grace, style and sophistication. She is a woman, a diva who constantly reinvents herself, and here I was on a Sunday rising, vibing, with her on the phone.

“Nadine,” I said enthusiastically, “You have no idea what this interview means to me. I will never forget when I first heard and saw the video for ‘Action.’ That song still has so much heat over 20 years later. I am excited to hear your story; let’s start from the beginning…”

“No problem Simone,” she said light-heartedly, “I have been looking forward to this interview as well. I was born in Kingston, Jamaica, but grew up in rural Jamaica. I loved the bush, the river, and the mountains. It is very grounding. I really appreciate nature, for me, I am connected to nature.

I was born with this love for music,” She continues. “I never chose music, music chose me. I used to get in trouble, because when my grandma couldn’t find me, it was because I was off singing and dancing in front of the jukebox.”

Nadine would sing in the community, and soon, she became known as the little girl who could sing and dance.

She entered singing competitions but got a big break when she won the quarterfinals at the Tastee Talent Contest. “I actually beat Paul Blake and Yellowman singing the hit song Buckingham Palace.” She stopped to laugh. “The song was about weed, but I was so young, I didn’t know it was about weed. Not too long after that, I got a recording contract for Tuff Gong. It was something that Bob Marley’s organization was doing for young artists. I had the opportunity to work with Bob. My first song was called ‘Starvation on the Land.’

Her fame started to grow early, but she tells me that she was too young to process it.

“Singing was just so natural to me. I was a naturally gifted kid. It was a lot of pressure at the time, I didn’t realize it then, but I do now. People knew me, knew who I was. I didn’t understand the magnitude of my fame. It keeps me humble. Even now, when I perform, I am dancing and singing, and it is a natural extension of myself. People meet me off stage and they are like, ‘you are different.”

Nadine starts to reminisce about times past; she allows me to join her in the nostalgia.

“We used to slew dance back in the day. All my friends were dancers. I was president of the Anderson House. It grounded me for what was to come later on. The nature of the universe is beyond your understanding. There was another level of fame that was coming into my life. My high school (St. Andrew High School for Girls) helped me with that. The finesse grooming helped me.

I started dancing more in high school, and I actually took up ballet and modern dance. I also started doing background vocals, but my great experience was with Peter Tosh. People have him off as this warrior king, which he was, but he was also a considerate, compassionate man.

I remember my first day working with him. I was so nervous. I made so many mistakes. He was so patient with me. He would say, ‘Put her on the high harmony,’ so that I could feel comfortable. I was taking up time, but he was so gentle, such a paternal figure to me. I was about to tour with him for the ‘No Nuclelar War.’ I was in New York when I found out about his death. I was in my 20’s. It shook me to the core.

I knew another chapter of my life was waiting. The next level of fame was right around the corner…”

No one could dance like her. She tells me about a time when she had to show some girls exactly what she was made of.

“My friends and I went to StoneLove, and there were these girls who were dancing, and when they saw us, they thought we couldn’t dance. They did not expect us to whine up our waist the way we did. Regardless of where I am from, or where I went to school, my whole background is roots and culture.”

Her fame started to filter in the 90’s. “Action” was her breakthrough hit, and she made sure that in the video she had women who represented Africa to the fullest.

When Terror Fabulous started to get big, I would walk down the streets in New York, and hear people yell “Fabulous.” I was on MTV and BET; it was so weird. I was famous. I remember my auntie telling me ‘Hello, get it in your head.’ Even now, it is still a bit of a disconnect.”

It has been a while since we heard from Nadine, but this did not mean that she wasn’t working.

“I thought my music career was over because I was older, but I didn’t realize that my music was becoming timeless. I was not getting shows, people were placing limitations on me, and I started to believe it. I was part of a television show called ‘Rising Star’ where I was one of the judges. I enjoyed doing that.  I also went ahead and completed my Masters in Cultural Studies. At the end of the day, I can put food on my table, and people can’t deny that I was an artist.”

Her love for music has never died, and you can hear it in her new song “Queen.”

“Queen was inspired by the life of women. It was written for Marcia Griffiths and myself, but she got busy. It is a song that I poured everything into financially, emotionally, everything. I saw it as a birthday gift to myself.

This song is about women who have gone through the wringer to be successful, who have been knocked down, and got back up. It is a song that everyone needs to hear.

‘Queen, some may put you aside, thought you gave up and died.

Women have been writing to me, crying because there is so much in the song that they can relate to. I wanted people to hear it, relate to it. I am glad that I can still have this impact with my music. What a wonderful feeling!