Cherine takes dancehall-soul to North America

Garfene Grandison, Gleaner Writer

Fresh from a 48-city, three-month North American tour, Jamaican dancehall-soul songstress Cherine Anderson captured a whole new audience with her unique sound and style. The tour proved to be such a humbling experience for the artiste that she had to share her experience with the people who made it all possible for her. According to Anderson, "Every tour marks a milestone in a musician's career, and this arena tour has definitely been the biggest tour I've been on so far." Anderson, alongside Michael Franti and Spearhead, was the opening act for John Mayer's Battle Tour. Performing to sold-out arenas of about 15,000 to 20,000 screaming fans at venues such as the Madison Square Garden and the Staples Center, Anderson said the feedback was phenomenal.

"I didn't go into the tour expecting all of that. I was just looking forward to the grand opportunity to perform for over 20,000 fans," she said.

Anderson admitted that her achievement was special as it never was an easy road to her singing career.

"I've been working on my professional music career for about four years, but the journey started well before that. I've clocked countless hours serving other musicians, singing background vocals on records for many known and unknown artistes, writing with and for other artistes," she stated. "After touring as an opening act for Michael Franti and Spearhead for the last 14 months, as well as being featured on the Billboard hit Say Hey (I Love You), Michael asked me to be a part of their presentation as the official opening act for John Mayer's North American Arena Tour. This decision was easy, and I was very grateful for the opportunity because I had never done a full arena tour and this was going to be new and exciting," she added.

Although the reception was good, Anderson admitted that many of these fans "have no clue who we were when we got onstage, but by the end of the show the feedback was so overwhelmingly positive". The singer said she was just happy to be able to share dancehall-soul and Jamaica with each new audience. After each night's performance, Anderson stated that she saw an increase in her fan base.

"Many subscribe to my social networking pages like Facebook, Twitter and some actively watch Cherine TV on YouTube and have even purchased my EP, The Introduction-Dubstyle online," she said.

Touching a life

The tour was not short of heart-warming experiences. Anderson shared with The Sunday Gleaner one of the most touching things that ever happened to her while on the John Mayer tour.

"One night after a show, I met Charla, who had the warmest smile and she came and took a picture with me dancing and smiling happily. A few days later her husband informed me through my Facebook page that she had passed away and that the last picture she had taken was the one with me. He said she was so happy and had so much fun at the concert. Her husband expressed his gratification stating, "Words can't express how much that night meant to her, and I thank you for making her feel so special."

In its own way, the tour was a life-changing experience for Anderson as well. "Every day is like a musical college as I'm learning from the experience and stories of not only musicians but also the crew, many of whom have been doing this for the last 40 years," she said. "It is awe-inspiring to be walking the halls, have lunch and share jokes with legendary musicians such as Steve Jordan, Robbie Mackintosh, among others. Some have worked for years with bands including legends like U2, Pink, Floyd, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder."

ups and downs

The tour did, however, have its ups and downs. Apart from missing the comfort of a stable bed, totally exhausting her supply of Excelsior Water Crackers and sachets of plantain porridge, Anderson fully enjoyed the spoils of being on tour with the one and only John Mayer.

"A restaurant was provided to us while we were on the road because, come on, it was THE John Mayer," she chuckled.

After finishing a show at 11:30 p.m., they would again board the tour bus then drive to another venue or a radio station for interviews. The songstress said she had a lot of downtime, most of which she used writing songs for her upcoming album.

The whole experience has only confirmed to Anderson that entertainment is what she was destined to do.

"It has made me more hungry and more committed to being not just a better singer but a better musician, writer and performer. This has been an amazing experience and I'll be taking an exciting next step as I'll be heading out to work on my debut album," she said. She will also be focusing on promoting her single Shine On Jamaica seeing that it is more relevant now than when it was released owing to the current upheavals in West Kingston.