Vanessa Bling Praised For Longevity, Being Unproblematic After London Performance
Dancehall singer Vanessa Bling is receiving her flowers following a well-received performance at Indigo at the O2 in London, England, on Sunday.
The venue’s lighting didn’t stand a chance against the beaming phone torches that awaited the Future Guaranteed hitmaker. Fans screamed as she made a glamorous entrance in a classy jumpsuit and stiletto heels, belting the beloved punchlines from her 2011 smash One Man.
As she reeled off more classics like Everything Fi Hold Him and Independent Ladies, it was clear that Bling didn’t have to do much singing. Fans doubled as supporting vocalists, choiring her repertoire throughout the packed venue. This seemed to overwhelm the singer at one point, as she grew emotional during the performance of Anything A Anything, one of several collaborations with Vybz Kartel.
Clips have been floating online of the show, which also featured Shaneil Muir, 450 and Deno Crazy, with several users declaring Bling the night’s standout.
“Goosebumps,” one user wrote. “She deserved all the love, every ounce of it!”
“That’s what happens when you make good music; she will forever tour off those songs,” another said.
“Sounds like the day the songs were produced!’’
She was also commended for her unproblematic brand and ability to captivate audiences while being fully dressed.
One user wrote in part, “She say ‘one man’, never naked and never ina mix up! Big up yuhself yaah Nessa.”
“She’s a beautiful singer,” the compliments continued. “I always love her voice and she stays away from drama. She deserves this.”
“If stay book, keep your money up n stay out the mix was a person,” commented another. “She rarely or if any at all address nutten that is been said. She just focus on her career, luv dat for her.”
Given name Vanessa Saddler, her entry into the music business came in 2007 while working with Twin of Twins on their song Only God Knows. She adopted the moniker Gaza Slim after rising to prominence in 2010 under Kartel’s once formidable Portmore/Gaza Empire.
Within a year, the singer would find herself in legal troubles after being arrested with Kartel in connection to the murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams. Kartel was issued a lifetime prison sentence (which he is currently appealing), while Bling was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice via a false report. She spent a brief time in jail and years on bail before the charge was dropped in 2014.
The epoch saw her retreating from the limelight, with most performances targeted overseas under the moniker Vanessa Bling. Her releases were slow and steady, with injections of gospel songs like Have Mercy On Me Lord and Overcome.
Bling’s contributions to Dancehall music were refreshed in 2017 when rapper Cardi B played her music in an Instagram video. She released her third EP Still Standing the following year, which peaked at number three on the Billboard Reggae Album chart.
In an interview with Bashy Magazine in 2019, Bling reflected on her journey, acknowledging her past challenges as shaping her into the resilient woman she is today. “To be honest, I don’t regret anything that happened to me because it made me into the woman I am today,” she said. “I think if I never went through all that pain, those struggles – I wouldn’t be that woman who, no matter what you do to me, I know how to stand strong.”
Her latest releases include Mood Swing, Powerful and Soul-Tied with singer D’Yani.