(Photo courtesy of Air Jamaica’s Twitter account)
Last night thousands of people converged on Kingston’s downtown for a free concert welcoming new national hero Tessanne Chin home. If you don’t know, Tessanne won The Voice a couple of months ago. And while Jamaica has actual, official, formally recognized National Heroes, Tessanne is not one- yet. I’m only sort of joking when I say that she could be nominated. Although Bob Marley has still yet to be declared a national hero, so who knows.
In any case, thousands of people headed downtown, which in itself is an interesting twist to this story. Many Jamaicans are afraid to go downtown because of its reputation as a dangerous place. A couple of people have told me they haven’t been in 20 years. But an effort is underway to lure people back downtown, including Digicel’s deliberate decision to build its new headquarters there. The lack of people frequenting it is a shame, as it is a beautiful place that could be redeveloped and restored. The problem, as usual, is a lack of funds.
But back to the now-beloved Tessanne. The way the nation has thrown its support behind her is remarkable, especially after years of not receiving widespread support on the radio and in terms of record sales.
It will be interesting to see what comes of the album she records, how much “Jamaican” and reggae influence it incorporates. Tessanne is not a traditional Jamaican artist in the sense her music is strictly reggae or dancehall or ska music. Instead, I would characterize her as a rock/pop/soul artist with heavy Jamaican influences. In any case, she is heavily imbued with talent and charm and deserves the international career she is seeking, as well as recognition not just from the rest of the world, but from her fellow Jamaicans, who are finally on the bandwagon.
Jamaican Journal 