Adena Myrie ... still singing

Marcia Rowe, Gleaner Writer

Since her debut appearance as a finalist in the popular 'Digicel Rising Stars' competition, Adena Myrie has become a household name. However, the singing sensation seems to have fallen below the top tier of the entertainment circuit. But she has continued to deliver excellent shows wherever she performs.

This was evident recently when she closed the curtains at Riddim and Booths. The event was organised and executed by the Introduction to Events Management class at the UWI Open Campus (Mona).

After a wonderful performance of songs such as If This Isn't Love and At Last, The Gleaner caught up with her in the VIP lounge. The encounter was brief but informative. She spoke about where she was at in her musical career and how she and the rest of her family were coping with the incarceration of her famous brother, Mark 'Buju Banton' Myrie.

"Oh, we are in high spirits," she said. "We have to give God thanks, because He is good. We are happy that he is more comfortable where he is at, in Miami ... . That's where he will be for the rest of his time. It could have been worse. He could have got a much longer sentence."

Adena was not able to attend her brother's trials in Miami nor was she at the concert held in his honour. So when was the last time she spoke with him? "Ah, the last time I spoke to him was probably two months ago."

She admitted that in spite of his imprisonment, Buju is the stronger of the two. In words introduced by a sigh, she explained, "Trust me, all I have to say is he is the one who is really encouraging me, to hold up my head and to keep pushing and stuff like that, and mustn't worry because he is fine."

And when the topic of the conversation changed to her musical career, there was an obvious sound of relief in her voice. "We are actually working on some singles. And I am also working with Kalonji (Sizzla) ... . We are doing some proofs and stuff," she quickly replied.

Two of the singles are the recently released cover version of My Redeemer Lives and the soon-to-be released Call On Jah. "Basically, I am just putting in the work to get good results," she added.

Myrie will also be putting in some work at the events that she has been asked to perform at. In spite of them not being the major shows of the holiday season, she says she is looking forward to doing them.