The New Vibe: Cherine Anderson gives Dancehall the Soul it's been Missing

Jamaican film aficionados will remember Cherine Anderson as Tanya, the mature and often outspoken daughter of the feisty street vendor turned dancehall queen, Marcia, (Audrey Reid) in the movie, Dancehall Queen (1997). Anderson also starred in the film One Love (2003) which earned her an MTV2/Urbanworld Film Festival award for Best Actress in a Feature Film. In 2007 she grabbed a role in MTV Tempo’s interactive drama, Choices, which kept her name in discussions concerning Jamaica’s rising film stars.

One might assume that an accomplished acting career would be enough for Anderson, but like Oliver Twist with the empty bowl, all she wants is more. This explains why the talented thespian from the Rockfort section of East Kingston is blazing new trails in the dancehall music biz. Her soulful vocals have been featured on official remixes for Madonna (“Give It 2 Me”), Britney Spears (“Pieces of Me”) and Paul McCartney (“Nod Your Head”).

If dedication and originality fuels career success for an artist, then Anderson is a young woman who is definitely going places. And don’t let her catalogue of official remixes fool you. She has some musical treats in store for her melanin-rich listeners as well. Anderson is currently working on her debut LP, Kingston State of Mind, and if her latest single “Talk If Yuh Talking” serves as any indication of what is to come, then reggae music fans will have something special to look forward to. Fast Food for Thought talked to the ever-touring Jamaican songbird about her upcoming album and decision to study abroad in Tokyo, Japan.


Your acting in the movie Dancehall Queen was superb. What do you like most about your character Tanya?

Tanya was a strong character. I loved that I could play a role that brought attention to the struggles faced by some young women in many countries. I enjoyed that Tanya won in the end. She became the model of hope for her family, She was the source and inspiration of strength.


You have a strong background in acting, but right now you’re focusing on your music career. What precipitated the switch in focus?

I’ve always loved entertainment, hence my reason for choosing to pursue acting and singing. I love communicating through song and film. They are both just a passion of mine.

How would you describe your music?

It’s the people’s music. It’s fun, sexy, rebellious, conscious, intellectual at times, energetic and very soulful, better yet soul-filled.


I’ve read articles where you’ve referred to your music as dancehall-soul. What’s the difference between dancehall-soul and traditional reggae music?

Good question. I call my music “Dancehall Soul.” Dancehall Soul is where street meets sweet. The music is a fusion of all of the different genres that have influenced my writing and sound in general. I’ve pulled from soul, gospel, r&b, country, a little rock and even jazz, but the sound is anchored in dancehall and reggae. Dancehall soul is a different energy, it isn't limited to a specific tempo or subject matter.

It’s vibrant, it’s energetic, it’s rebellious, it’s sexy, it’s conscious, it’s youthful and it’s music for the people. No two songs are going to sound exactly the same because it’s fusion. If you listen to “Kingston State of Mind” and then “Gurl’s Anthem”, or flip to “Good Love” you’ll quickly realize that it’s not traditional reggae.

What lead to your decision to study at Keio University in Japan?

I wanted to travel and the possibility of studying a foreign language in the native country of that language was appealing. I was fortunate enough to earn a scholarship so I decided to attended school in Tokyo, Japan for a year.


What was the most interesting thing you learned about Japanese culture?

That's hard. I love the technology and the food. I also loved the fashion scene in Japan. The fashion is very forward but at the same time retro. You’d see girls walking around in outfits that look like they were straight out of the 60’s and 70’s and mixed it with what was current and they would look hot. The traditional Kimono is still worn and the Harajuku scene was also fascinating. The kaiten sushi spots were really cool to me. I wish they had those in Jamaica.


What did you learn about yourself?

I learned that I am adventurous and that I am not scared of challenges.


How did you come up with the title for your new LP?

The title for the LP comes from the song “Kingston State of Mind” which is a single that I wrote and later directed the video for. The song was written and recorded in Kingston, Jamaica. I still live in Kingston and through my observation of some of the realities in the city I chose to address a few things with this song. The majority of my album is being developed in Kingston so the title “Kingston State of Mind” really represents what I have been experiencing around me for the better part of the last two years and seems like a perfect title for the project.

Michael Jackson: Forever Young

In his essay entitled “The Ben Ishmael Tribe: Fugitive Nation of the Old Northwest,” Virginia historian, Hugo Prosper Learning, discusses the history of African Americans in what eventually became the state of Indiana in the late 18th century. Learning wrote about how Black runaway slaves from Kentucky fled to what was then a sprawling wilderness in the Mid West before they interbred with the Pawnee Native Americans whom they encountered there. Upon settling, these so-called former slaves are said to have appointed their own king and queen, known respectively as Ben and Jennie Ishmael. With time, the Ishmael clan cultivated a reputation for being fine artisans, musicians and dancers.

How conceivable is it, how fitting would it be, if Michael Jackson—the seventh of nine children born to Katherine and Joseph Jackson in the town of Gary, Indiana—were a direct descendant of these Moorish prisoners of war? Like those pioneering Moors, who may very well be his forbearers, Michael knew what it felt like to be on the run from smooth criminals for much of his life. For the Ishmaels, the crooks took the form of shotgun-wielding rednecks accompanied by slave-sniffing bloodhounds. For Michael, however, they came in the guise of a hounding news media equipped with electric eyes and flashing cameras to scrutinize his every move.

Since Michael—the Arch Angel of Pop (“Will You Be There,” “Earth Song,”)—died in the City of Angels on June 25th 2009, (the same day as Farrah Fawcett of Charlie’s Angels fame) there have been numerous newspaper and magazine articles indicating that during a brutal bout with prescription drugs, painkillers dealt him a crushing blow. Meanwhile, the internet has been crawling with all sorts of creepy, yet elaborate conspiracy theories to explain the Gloved One’s sudden demise.

By no means am I a knee-jerk debunker of conspiracies. My dedicated study of world history has convinced me that history is, to a great extent, the study of conspiracies. Unfortunately, they are not formerly acknowledged as such until long after the fact. Nevertheless, I am also a firm believer in the idea that sometimes the best explanation for an unfortunate occurrence is also the simplest one.

Michael had long identified with the character Peter Pan from the J.M. Barrie play/novel Peter and Wendy. Like the mythical character in the story, Michael was a magical, yet mischievous individual (close friends and family members say he loved to play practical jokes on people) who never wanted to grow up. The extent to which you identify with something or someone is the extent to which you become that person or thing. Michael identified with a fictional character that never got old, so like his timeless music, he never did. He died at 50, a relatively young age, after living a life that was as fascinating and as riveting as any character’s from a fictional tale. Through his exceptional body of work, Michael has defied death, much like the ghoulish characters who danced alongside him in his music video for “Thriller.”

As a matter of fact, as I type these words Michael is probably dancing with zombies, nimbly moonwalking his way through astral portals of infinity. “For every album that I record, I write like, literally—I’m telling you the truth—I write at least 120 songs every album I do,” said Jackson during a June, 15 2002 speech at his “Killer Thriller Party” where he launched a scathing verbal attack against Tommy Mottola and his then parent company, Sony Music. Whether or not these songs were recorded remains to be seen, but don’t be surprised if MJ has enough posthumous album releases to rival the late Tupac Shakur.

Michael cloaked himself in mythology and in the process he fashioned a fascinating legacy, one that will go unmatched for many generations to come: Over 750 million albums sold worldwide, 8 Grammy Awards in a single year (1984), 13 number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100, the biggest recording contract of all time ($890 million). And the clincher? Well, Michael also owns the Guinness Book of World Records distinction of being the man who has given to more charitable organizations (39) than anyone else on the planet. Like his final studio album Invincible, Michael’s resume isn’t Bad. In fact, it’s kind of Off the Wall.

Although Michael may not have been pleased with The Man in the Mirror as evidenced by his numerous plastic surgeries, his critics—particularly those in the Black community—must remember that no Black person on the planet, no matter how enlightened they may be, has completely escaped the noose of Willie Lynch. In spite of it all, Michael did more to promote Black pride in nine minutes than many Blacks will do in a lifetime. When the music video for his single “Remember the Time,” aired on prime time television to millions of viewers across the nation in 1992, it was the first time anyone ever saw the ancient Egyptians as they actually looked on national television. Before that video aired, Micael could do no wrong in the white media’s eyes. After it aired, he couldn’t do anything good.

Michael may have had his share of personal issues, but we all do. Our pathologies are a byproduct of Western civilization So now that his birthday is here, it is important that we acknowledge his flaws while celebrating what defined the man, which is the fact that he is the single greatest entertainer that the modern world has ever known.