For many in the entertainment industry, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a global intermission that has seen the proliferation of virtual engagements.
For up and coming singer/songwriter, Zhayna, the lockdown of the industry has been a fruitful period to run full speed into her solo career with her first single and video, “Runaway”.
“The concept of Runaway emerged out of my own experience of being in quarantine and not being able to physically perform and feel the passion of being on stage. I figured that many persons could relate to feeling like they want to run away from their current circumstances, so I decided to write about it,” said the 25- year- old back up vocalist for Reggae Grammy Winner, Koffee.
“Runaway” features a kaleidoscope of genres to get the listeners to feel a mixture of emotions.
The song commences with the infectious beat of niabinghi drums which evolve into a subtle reggae vibe with snippets of rock and dub being infused toward the end. The multiplicity of genres is a product of the musical styling of Kerron “Kalex” Alexander, Tara Johnson and Zhayna who co-produced the song.
“With such a powerful, relatable topic, we knew we had to put visuals to the track. The imagery of being home alone with one’s thoughts, of fighting causes such as Black Lives Matter globally and even our own crime situation in Jamaica is very evident in the video,” said Zhayna.
Both the audio and visuals for “Runaway” will be released on Friday, November 27, 2020 on YouTube and multiple social media platforms.
With little or no avenues to tour and perform on physical stages, in July 2020, Zhayna graced the golden couch for the Harry J Live Couch Series which also led to her being the opening act for the Uppsala Reggae Jam Festival, which was streamed live from Jamaica to audiences across Europe on August 1, 2020.
With hopes of finishing her degree in jazz and popular music at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, while still making appearances with Koffee, Zhayna is still dreaming on being successful as a solo act.
“I know that this is a very difficult period for all of us in the creative industry globally; but I encourage upcoming artistes like myself to create opportunities within this crisis; after all, some of our favourite reggae songs were created out of harsh economic and volatile times, and I think “Runaway” may be one of those songs,” Zhayna said with a smile.
