- FileNadine all grown up.
Tamara King, Freelance Writer
NADINE SUTHERLAND has certainly come up through the ranks. She has been labelled a prodigy and a singing genius ever since she mesmerised Jamaica at the tender age of 11. She credited her early rise to stardom to the reggae king, Bob Marley.
Ironically, the now mature Nadine appeared surprised when the label 'singing genius' was mentioned. "Wow!" she said laughingly. "I never knew people thought I was a singing genius. Wow! I was just a girl singing and attending school," she quipped between chuckles.
That girl grew up to be the woman who had the crowd at last Saturday's Western Consciousness show in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, rocking to her old hits and new songs.
A woman who chose to make the fickle world of entertainment her bread and butter, when fame came her way she was just doing 'what was as natural as breathing' (in her own words).
She revealed that a sharp contrast exists between the naturalness of her ability to sing and becoming a public figure. "That was what wasn't natural," she said, matter-of-factly.
Addressing what some would term a self-imposed exile, Ms. Sutherland said: "I can't say I took a break from the music industry, but I took a break from Jamaica. The reality of the situation is that you have to pace yourself. I wasn't happy with what was happening, I wanted to withdraw". She was referring to the fact that her 'fish bowl' life never allowed to really grow up as a normal child.
Nadine explained that she left Jamaica for New York because that was where her family was and the dual-purpose trip presented her with the added chance to "grow into (her) own".
She pointed out that while she was in New York, she was putting out songs. The singer, who took a lot of criticism for been out of the public eye, admitted that she was not as consistent with her work. On the contrary, she also added that she has never gone hungry from a lack of work on the international stage.
During her hiatus from Jamaica, the rumour mill started to work overtime, but the artiste said that she was busy recording and performing at various venues. Hits like Last Night Memory and Why were also getting rave reviews from the Caribbean Americans and made their way on to the ethnic charts.
Jah Jah Is My Light is the artiste's most recent release and, from the sound of things, the single is poised to do well.
A very spiritual Nadine showered God with praises for all of her achievements.
"I have had a very long shelf-life and it looks like it's not going to end, it's just going to get better. So I feel very humble right now," she said.
Interestingly, throughout the interview, Nadine came across as one who has benefited immensely from her experiences, both good and bad, and she admitted that there has been a lot of bad. After all of that, she is now viewing life with renewed hope and vigour.
Nadine exudes a certain level of warmth. She cited an earlier incident, where by a gentleman held her hand told her how happy he was to see her, how glad he is that she is back and that he missed her so much. "Those are the things that bring the midnight tears," she remarked emotionally.
"There has always been negativity, but when I walk on the street and someone comes and says I miss you, you are back with us and I'm like, I didn't go anywhere. But that is what they feel and I am thankful and honoured," she said.
Nadine is very philosophical about life and, according to her, having been dealt several mean blows, she has now "come to respect me as a lady".
"I've never sold out. I thought I would have been broken under the stress and the negativity that was around me at one time," Nadine said. She said that her mantra is that when you are under the darkness of life, hold on and find something there that will enhance your life. She added that even though it sounds clichéd it will make you stronger when you focus. After all, despite the bad things that have been said about her, the rumours of drug addiction and deterioration, Nadine said that she has become a stronger person. She said: "At this stage I am centred, but it is not external, it is not like there is a good man or car. I am centred because of what is inside of me - a degree of self love that I never thought I would ever see."
Listening to the singer, one gets the impression that he or she could have easily been a student in her self-motivation classes. The singer stressed that in the face of adverse circumstances, one's safest bet is to focus on 'you'.
According to Ms. Sutherland, when "everybody says look at her she is a drug addict, and ba, ba, ba, ba, and you are like, that is so horrible, look at her she is a 'ho', look at her she is this, she is that... What do you do? You feel like you are dying."
Revealing an intimate portrait of herself, Nadine told The Sunday Gleaner: "When I was going through all of that I was like, Jesus Christ, I am dead now, I am really going to be a tragedy like some people say."
When asked if she has ever addressed the negativity forthrightly, she replied: "Should I go to everybody and say listen, everything you have heard about me since I'm 11 is a lie?"
"Should that be your concern?" she asked, "or is it that whatever happens I will stand? It is more important to say I will stand, my feet are firmly planted, I will stand."
Nadine found that getting to know yourself and focusing on yourself when the walls are caving in are important ingredients in self-preservation. "When yu inna yu bed, who yu have? When yu nuh have nuh man who you lie down with?" she threw in for good measure.
As Nadine said, she is really interested in just living life to the fullest.
