Dawn Penn

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Having penned one of the more recognised reggae songs of love, Dawn Penn's voice has hauntingly cried "no no no" from speaker boxes for years. Penn's powerful signature song, You Don't Love Me, has topped the charts worldwide from UK to Japan, Europe, the US and Canada, and has been included in soundtracks for several TV commercials and shows.

Penn started her career in music by studying classical piano and violin as early as five years old, and has kept on going strong. It was when Penn wandered into an audition at Sir Coxsone Dodd's Studio One that her life changed forever. You Don't Love Me (No, No, No) became an anthem for the nation and a mega hit internationally.

Penn continued in music for years, covering songs such as Are You There With Another Girl as well as Long Day Short Night and doing a reggae version of Lulu's To Sir With Love. She also recorded Why Did You Lie? for Duke Reid and I'll Get You for Bunny Lee before leaving Jamaica for more than a decade, returning to the charts in 1994 with the dancehall-influenced remake of her signature song You Don't Love Me, produced by Steelie and Cleavie.

That year also saw Penn release her critically acclaimed debut album No, No, No on BigBeat/Atlantic Records, garnering her a Grammy nomination. In 1996 Penn co-produced her popular album Come Again for Trojan Records, selling more than 108,000 copies. The Sunday Gleaner caught up with the songstress over the phone from her home in England.

Sunday Gleaner: How did you get started in the business?

Dawn Penn: I went to Studio One and did an audition. I used to be up and down at other studios with my friends. I also used to do stuff like Independence Festival. I don't remember when, but it was one of those very early ones. I played the organ and backed myself up. I did the song Make Up Your Mind.

Did you always want to be a singer?

No, I wouldn't say that, but I always loved singing. I used to do chorale, pantomime, but somehow this turned out to be my outstanding occupation.

Do you have any professional training?

I did piano up to grade eight.

What was your first big break?

That was when No No No was re-recorded by Steelie and Cleavie. I got an audience in the world, in over 50-odd countries.

What did your parents think about your career choice?

Well, my father didn't like it at first. Then I was singing religious songs as well at Youth for Christ.

Who are some ofyour influences?

Well, I liked very much Aretha Franklin, who was my favourite, and Dionne Warwick. I used to sing a lot of their stuff.

What is the most memorable experience in your career?

My most memorable moment was recording No, No, No. That is my signature song; that is the song I always dreamt about having. Lots of people have tried imitating me.

What do you think about people covering your song?

At some point yuh have some people who are trying to sound better than me ... But I'm not into the competitive stuff. It's a lot of people singing it over; even Rihanna and Vybz Kartel did it. The good news is that on my myspace people from all over the world say they love that song. It's really great to get through to people from all different languages.

Who wrote the song?

At one point in time many music companies had people who sey they wrote the song and was collecting royalties for it.

Did you write it?

I did write it and even helped to compose the music. The words are about lost love, loss of love from siblings, family and others.

Why did you remix the song?

Studio One had a reunion and they asked me to be on it. Steelie and Cleavie came about and I was originally supposed to sing a Diana Ross song. We went into Mixing Lab and did the track and after a while the song was running the album. That was the beginning of going all over the world.

What was the last show you did in Jamaica?

About 100 years ago (laughs). I haven't been there in years. My father isn't from Jamaica and I don't have family there anymore. Nobody doesn't gimme a show in Jamaica from when. I work with Jah Freedom and that's it. I do lots of shows in Europe all the time, up to last week.

You left the music industry and Jamaica for a number of years. Why?

I left Jamaica and went to Tortuga to check on my father's property. That was another wake-up call. I ended up staying there for 17 years; it took that long. I was working at various jobs while pursuing information about the property. I came back to Jamaica after that and then to the States. But there wasn't a time when I wasn't doing music. I was doing shows in St Kitts and the Virgin Islands, but Jamaican people just never heard me.

Is there anything that you regret in your career?

I have some tracks I did in 1971 before I left Jamaica. The majority of ones I didn't receive any royalties from them. Dem owe me three houses and 21 cars.

What are you doing now?

I work for a charity show in London. In between that I do music, write songs and do shows.