If you ever ask reggae singer Tabitha how important it is to be true to yourself on a scale of one to ten, she would probably say 20.
Every day, she makes a conscious decision to weed out negativity. When she awakes, she affirms that she will be happy and productive. Being original is a part of who she is, and her new single Original epitomises that.
She told WEEKEND BUZZ that staying true to oneself and remaining positive and original despite everything that is going on around you whether it is in your community, in your country, the region, or the wider world is important.
Drawing from what is taking place, she wrote part of the chorus, then spoke to Buggy Nhakente and he wrote the song based on what she presented.
“I told him this is what I’m feeling for the song and he came back with some amazing lyrics,” she said about Original for which there is a music video done by Life After Gravity, on her YouTube page.
“Things are gradually progressing. I’m very thankful at this stage in my career that things are finally aligning and making more sense. Before you had the few and far in between shows and now it’s back to back shows, the photo shoots, the video release, the song release and more music coming soon. It’s like a momentum and it’s continuing to roll into the next week,” she said.
During the years when the gigs were few she never contemplated giving up.
“You can’t give up. You can’t let things overcome you. That’s not how I was raised. Again, I can tie that into being original. Where I’m from is a background where we didn’t have a lot but we made the most of everything. It’s like a pass over, you don’t have gray clouds all the time, you will have the sun at some point. It’s about sticking it out which makes the victory sweeter in the end.
“When you do succeed, and things start to happen, people sometimes wonder how it happened but it didn’t come overnight, it’s been happening for 12 years. It’s just now that everything is coming together in such a big way that it has more of an impact. I’ve never stopped working,” she told BUZZ.
In February she performed at Love, Poetry And Song, last month she did the Morgan Heritage show and later this month she will perform at Reggae On The Hill, which is not new for her. She started there as a backing vocalist performing with Nhakente And The Fully Loaded Band and eventually “wiggled” her way into the solo spotlight.
She loves the vibe she gets from the audience there and described it as amazing. She does wish more people would attend the event early, so they can hear the Barbadian artistes.
Tabitha also performs her songs and covers at the Old Jamm Inn in St Lawrence Gap on Wednesdays and every Friday at The Mews in Holetown with The Mix Up Fix Up Band.
While there is no single moment that she can pinpoint which led to where she is now, she recalled the moment that made her decide she wanted pursue music as a career. That was at a Beenie Man concert when she was younger after he called her up on stage.
“I try to bring joy to the people through my performances and bring positive energy . . . . I am inspired by everything around me. Every day is a moment. Every day there is something in that day where I’m like ‘wow’, mind blown,” Tabitha said.
An album – her first – is in the works but that depends on “how finances go”. She is also looking to do some “big stuff and trying to focus in that area”.
What are her plans for the rest of year?
“I’m looking to travel, do more music, make more of an impact, and help other people learn my name. It’s my job to get my name out there so I will be working hard and continuing to build my brand. The release of Original is the impetus for me to push a little harder to get my album done and get my name out,” she said. (DS)