Lady Saw
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| Lady Saw | |
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 Lady Saw performing in July 2007
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Marion Hall |
| Born | July 12, 1972 Saint Mary, Jamaica |
| Origin | Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genre(s) | Reggae Dancehall |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Label(s) | VP |
| Website | LadySaw.net |
Lady Saw (born Marion Hall, 12 July 1972, Saint Mary, Jamaica), is a Jamaican reggae singer, known as "the first Lady of Dancehall". She is the first female deejay to win a Grammy Award and to be certified triple-platinum. She is also the first lady to headline shows outside her native Jamaica.
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[edit] Biography
Marion Hall was born in summer 1972 in Galina, parish of Saint Mary. As a child she was a tomboy sold fruits and race wooden karts. At only 15, she took the name Lady Saw after famous Jamaican Deejay Tenor Saw, whose style she is said to emulate. She quit her sewing job at The Free Zone on the outskirts of Kingston;“That job wasn't for me”, she says. “I would deejay at work during the day.”[1] to pursue music fulltime. She was soon signed to the Jamaican grassroots label VP Records (now a powerhouse). She debuted in 1994 with Lover Girl. At that time, she guested on the Jermaine Fagan track, "Life" and her star began to rise.
Hall is mother to three adopted children, two sons and one daughter. [2]
[edit] Career
Lady Saw's first successes began at the beginning of the 1990s. While gun talk ruled the dancehalls of West Kingston, she sang lyrics with a heavy dose of sexually explicit lyrics, known as "slackness", into the music, but from her perspective as a female. Recording for the local Diamond label, she released early hits like "If Him Lef" and "Stab Out de Meat", which was often met with mixed reaction by audiences. At that time, she also became known for her raucous stage shows, which usually included picking men from the audience (or sometimes her own band members) to pull on stage and to simulate sex acts with.
Due to her penchant for outspokeness and what was considered vulgarity, she was banned from many events due to her lyrics. Male contemporaries of Lady Saw were performing similar lyrics and stage shows, but as a female, Lady Saw and endured censorship and even outright banning in more than a few Jamaican parishes. She continued to be outspoken though, and often addressed controversial topics such as unfaithful lovers, female degradation, and safe sex in the wake of the emergence of AIDS (from her single "Condom"). Subsequent hits like "No Long Talking", "Sycamore Tree", and "Find a Good Man" further fueled her success as Jamaica's most prominent female deejay. These also were the first songs to gain exposure in the United States, especially in cities with large with Caribbean populations such as New York City and Miami.
Lady Saw has also collaborated with her male and female peers on several tracks: with Beenie Man on tracks such as "Healing"; with Sean Paul on "Bossman"; with her protege and Dancehall princess Ce'Cile on "Loser"; and with long-time friend and peer, Tanya Stephens on "Bruck Dem Up". State-side, she has shared the mic with Missy Elliott, Eve (rapper), Lil' Kim, and Foxy Brown.
After a 6 year hiatus, in late 2004, she released Strip Tease. It has been called her most balanced and well-written album yet. "I've Got Your Man" had significant video and radio airplay in the U.S. "I've Got Your Man" peaked at #85 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks chart.
In 2005 she produced a version of Gregory Isaacs's Night Nurse with her toasting over the original lyrics[1].
In 2007, she released Walk Out. The album debuted at number 2 on the Top Reggae Albums chart. The singles "Infertility" and "Chat To Mi Back" were well received.
[edit] Awards
- Lady Saw received a triple-platinum certification from the RIAA for "Underneath It All" with No Doubt.
- In 2003, Lady Saw received her greatest mainstream honor: she won a Best Performance by a Duo or Group with a Vocal Grammy for her 2003 collaboration with No Doubt "Underneath It All". The slow-burning ballad and Gwen Stefani's vocals emulated Saw's unique style to great effect.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 1994 Lover Girl
- 1996 Give Me A Reason
- 1997 Passion (Album)
- 1998 Raw, the Best of Lady Saw
- 1998 99 Ways
- 2004 Strip Tease
- 2007 Walk Out
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.ladysaw.net/biography.php Bio on VP Records website
- ^ "Lady Saw - The First Lady of Dance Hall", VP Records, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
