Dancehall Legend Lady G Starts YouTube Channel, Talks New Music
The legendary dancehall artiste Lady G, known for her lyrical prowess, stage presence, and no-nonsense attitude, is putting herself out there with her official YouTube page and says she is looking forward to doing more of the work she loves on her own terms.
Promoting her EP titled Smile, produced by Indie Roots Records and a single from it Nah Sell Out Me Soul produced by GT Taylor, the Breeze off deejay said it is important for her not to be motivated by fame and material things but to always remain grounded.
The official video for the EP’s title track was released last month.
“The inspiration behind that song is just to see how people will do all kinds of things to achieve material things. Whether they have to sell out themselves or give away their pride just to achieve. The storyline is that no matter what, I will keep my head above the water and I’ll never do anything wrong to achieve anything in life”, she told DancehallMag.
She said starting the YouTube channel is a good way to introduce herself to new fans and satisfy current fans. “I have been the in business for a long time and there is what we call a generation gap…I am posting all my old videos, all my songs from then until now. When a young fan goes to my channel they must be able to have a sense of who Lady G is”, the 51-year-old said.
Lady G told DancehallMag that it can be very difficult to evolve based on the demands of the changing times, but she is up for the challenge. “It’s a little challenging for me to keep up with social media and now is it the time for it because that’s where everybody is. Sometimes my kids remind me to post and technology may be where my downfall is… I see a lot of online performances and I am so used to mingling with my fans, but things are going to be different…”, Lady G said.
The unassuming artiste said she is grateful for high regard but just wants to be focussed on her work and not get caught up in the hype.
“I just see myself as an individual that is trying to work a little bit harder every day to keep up with what’s going on, in my own time on my own terms. I am just waiting for the pandemic to be over so I can continue the work. I was looking forward to tours and a lot of big shows in 2020 but all of that changed”, she explained.
She said she remains optimistic about her future and is even looking to launch a charity.
With new songs on the way Lady G, whose real name is Janice Fyffe, said she is now recording for quite a few producers while working on a few projects with her GString Recording Label, owned by herself and her brother. “I have a collaboration coming out soon with me and my father. I know a lot of people didn’t know that my father is a singer. He does a lot of work with the Congos but he is also a solo artiste”, the singer said.
Lady G began her dancehall career in the 80s and achieved success with the hit single Nuff Respect. She later became a household name after she released Man a Bad Man from the Jamaican film Third World Cop in 1999. She released several other popular hit songs like Certain Friends, Breeze Off, and Girls Like Us, which eventually led the singer to perform for international audiences at Europe’s biggest reggae festival, Summer Jam, in 2001 and later in the United States touring with Buju Banton.
Recently, she was awarded the Iconic Artiste in the Music Industry Female, courtesy of the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) in February 2020.