Mona's moving on with the music

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

AT THE dawn of 2011, Amanda Mona was at a crossroads. Should she pursue a promising acting career or take a full-time crack at singing, which has always been her first love?

"I enjoy both, but I've been singing since I was 10, and that has always been a big part of me," she said.

Mona, who is in her mid-20s, recently took her first steps to make it as a professional vocalist with the release of Never Felt So Good, a lovers rock number for Kingston's Rambass Music.

That company also produced her debut song, Big Sound.

Never Felt So Good is driven by the music of Hard Drugs, a big hit for Gregory Isaacs back in the 1990s. She said things fell into place after she heard the opening strains of the familiar beat.

"Once I heard the rhythm, the lyrics just flowed. The song has the potential to last over time because it has that classic feel," Mona stated.

While biding her time to jump into the competitive music scene, Mona helped operate her family's guest house and real-estate business in Negril. The world of commerce is far different from the entertainment business that she first got involved with while she was living in Toronto, Canada.

She actually started out as an actress in stage productions before moving on to roles in independent films like Sound Clash, Plantation and Crash And Burn. But as much as she enjoyed performing in theatre and film, Mona said the prospects were not as exciting as making it as a singer back home in Jamaica.

Never Felt So Good and Big Sound were recorded while Mona juggled duties in the family business. Going into 2012, her nine-to-five job may have to play second fiddle as she tries to make the breakthrough with Never Felt So Good.

"That's going to be priority in the new year, to get more recognition for the song and for Amanda Mona," she said.