Singer, songwriter, and humanitarian Etana is a powerhouse vocalist and 2-time Grammy Award nominee. More than a decade after her debut as a reggae artist, she is now a recognized and respected entertainer worldwide. Born Shauna McKenzie, the young talent migrated to the United States for the opportunity and briefly pursued a pop music career before rediscovering her roots as an adult and adopting the moniker Etana, “The Strong One” in Swahili. The return home spurred the evolution of her sound and is evident in her body of work expressed as the fusion of folk, soul, jazz, and reggae. In 2008 Etana debuted the album The Strong One. The project reached the #12 spot on the Reggae Billboard chart, and consecutively released singles helped to introduce the spirited singer to the world. Lyrical hits “Warrior Love” and “I Am Not Afraid” made a lasting impression, as did “Free” and “Happy Heart” from the second album Free Expressions, notably a repeat Reggae Billboard chart climber. She released her fourth album I Rise to much acclaim, nabbing the #1 spot on the chart, marking the first female artist out of Jamaica to earn such a designation seventeen years. In 2018, Etana was nominated for the 61st Annual Grammy Awards for Reggae Forever in the Best Reggae Album category by The Recording Academy marked the first time in over twenty years that a woman was designated that bracket. Her latest full-length album Gemini is scheduled for a Summer 2020 debut.