Nadine Sutherland was 11 years old going on 12 , when she came on the Jamaican music scene as a protégé of Bob Marley, whom she met while recording her debut single Starvation on The Land at Bob’s 56 Hope Road studios.
The song written, produced and arranged by Jamaican icon Sangie Davis, addressed the issue of poverty in Jamaica and quickly gained popularity and established Sutherland as a rising star in the reggae music scene, went to Number #2 on the Jamaican charts in 1980.
She earned the opportunity to record the song after winning the highly prestigious Tastee Talent Contest in 1979.
She was still a pre-teen when Bob Marley signed her to his Tuff Gong label and placed well on a path to stardom, which came easily by the time she was a teenager compiling a long list of hits on the recording scene and on stage in Jamaica and abroad.
By the late 1980s and 1990s,hits such as “Action” with dancehall artist Terror Fabulous and “Babyface” catapulted her to the top of the dancehall charts. She also collaborated with Buju Banton, Mad Cobra, Spragga Benz and Snow.
By the 2000s, she was considered to be the female vocalist of her generation in Jamaica.
And although she continues to record and release albums, Sutherland defines herself by her ability to stay relevant by exploring her other life-interests and excelling at them, including as a newspaper columnist with the Jamaican Observer, an entrepreneur (Nadsipadsi Enterprises), a panel judge on a popular local talent show, Rising Star as well as an aerobics instructor and spokesperson for Supligen Soy.
In 2011, Sutherland went back to school and earned an undergraduate degree from the University of The West Indies, followed by a Masters of Arts in Cultural Studies.
Then all roads led her back to music as she continued to write and perform, serving as a source of inspiration to female in Jamaican and across the Caribbean and the Diaspora.
Along the way she has earned a laundry list of awards recognizing her multiplicity of achievements and contributions including the Order of Distinction from the Jamaican government for her contributions to music and culture. She was also inducted into the Caribbean Hall of Fame in 2015.
On April 28, music lovers in Montreal, will have an opportunity to meet this phenomenal daughter of Jamaica and the Caribbean, when Nadine Sutherland comes to town at The Jamaican Association, 4065 Jean Talon West.
She will be here for Fire_T’s annual birthday celebration in an event that will be flavored by good food, drinks and
music.
Tickets available at: The Jamaican Association, Instagram: @Fire_t_2021 and on Eventbrite- Fire Splash Pt 5.
