CATCH DI RIDDIM WITH KEVIN JACKSON!

 Top: Yanique Sasha

Bottom: Magic!

Yanique Sasha… Queen of Hearts

Yanique Sasha tackles emotional and social issues on her forthcoming debut album, Queen of Hearts.

Currently in production, the set is scheduled for release late this year.

Originally from Kingston, Yanique Sasha (real name Yanique Sasha-Gay Moodie) relocated to Orlando, Florida, over 20 years ago. Now in her early 30s, the singer/songwriter has done backup vocals for top acts including Mavado, Gyptian, Pressure, and Sanchez.

“My life experiences have molded me into the person that I am today. I enjoy writing and putting my thoughts into songs. I always encourage persons to find their inner strength, because it is imperative for their happiness,” Yanique Sasha explained.

After doing the live show circuit in Florida for years, she relocated to New York where she collaborated with Gyptian on the track, Touch, which is on his album, I Can Feel Your Pain. She also contributed to two tracks from Mavado’s 2009 album Mr Brooks…A Better Tomorrow.

Yanique Sasha is currently promoting the singles, Passa Passa, Broken and Spread Love. She describes the latter as “my universal anthem”.

A magical number one

In the 56 years of the Billboard Hot 100 chart only nine reggae/dancehall songs have made number one.

They are Angel and It Wasn’t Me by Shaggy; Here Comes the Hotstepper by Ini Kamoze; Temperature and Get Busy (Sean Paul); Informer (Snow); I Shot the Sheriff (Eric Clapton) and I Can See Clearly Now (Johnny Nash).

The latest to achieve that milestone is Rude by Canadian reggae group MAGIC! The song is also number one on Billboard’s Digital Songs chart.

MAGIC! is a quartet whose members are songwriter/producer/singer Nasri Atweh, Mark Pellizzer, Alex Tanas, and Ben Spivak.

Rude was released in 2013, but the group’s debut album, Don’t Kill The Magic, was released in July. It has so far sold 36,000 copies in the United States.

MAGIC! is the second Canadian act to top the Billboard Hot 100. Toronto deejay Snow hit number one in 1993 with Informer which spent seven weeks in that position.

—By Kevin Jackson