Sitting down waiting to interview Yolande Rattray Wright of The Wright Agency is a bit like watching a tennis match in fast-forward.

She moves with energy, is animated when something starts gelling, and even in those rare moments of rest, appears to never fully stop moving. It's almost as if she is trying to beat time; trying to get a million things done in the time it takes to do one.

What she is, is in a hurry! A hurry to make positive changes to an industry that is hurting.

Rattray Wright started in the business of entertainment in Toronto, Canada, while still a teenager, and from there, evolved into one of the hard-working managers/booking agents in the Jamaican music industry. But after promoting, booking and managing Jamaican acts for 12 years, Rattray Wright does not necessarily like where the industry has been heading and wants to contribute to the movement of taking the music back to a more positive place, as it has become a vehicle for violent and sexually explicit lyrics.

"I have always been a part of this forum where music - entertainment, talent - needs to be more balanced. It needs to be respected as a business and one of our best resources. Young people are a little bit too gung-ho about 'a one song' and that's all that matters," she said. "If they stayed in school or even furthered their education, they would realise that that one song is not going to do it. And, it's not about competing against each other here. It's about competing with the world so that we can be heard. I don't think that message has gotten through to many artistes."

This is why, in her own way, Rattray Wright has been quietly making her mark again in an industry where she made her career for such a long time.

Rattray Wright arrived in Jamaica in 1988 and proceeded to blaze a trail in local entertainment, being among the first to develop many of the key elements that go into the production of a successful show, and stressing the importance of punctuality in event management as a must.

She also produced, managed and/or booked some of Jamaica's most famous entertainers while they were getting their careers off the ground or catching a second wind. Her list of past clients reads like a 'Who's Who' in the entertainment industry - Innocent Kru, Natural Black, Tanya Stephens, Delly Ranks, Nas, LUST, Future Troubles, Gregory Isaacs, Professor Nuts, Ken Boothe, and a host of others.

ground-breaking

The celebrity walk-a-thon and the forever-sold-out all-female dancehall shows were another of her ground-breaking innovations, both of which ran for five years.

Despite all her successes, Rattray Wright took a three-year break from the industry in 2002, in part because - as she put it - she wanted to reinvent herself, be a more hands-on mother to her son, who was entering college, and her daughter, and because she did not like what the industry was becoming.

"Dancehall started becoming very vicious. It was a negative influence and I didn't like where it, or I, was going."

Now she is back and is once again exerting her influence to blaze yet another new trail! She has committed to becoming a healthier person, revised her dream, fine-tuned her mind and her soul and has come to accept Jesus as her Lord and Saviour, which also brings a sweet smile to her face.

Indeed, Rattray Wright has a new thrust that she feels will help to inject more fulfilling constructive music into the industry and start the transition back to a time when the quality of the music helped define what Jamaican dancehall and reggae music really was about. It is what she has to do, she believes, having dedicated so much of her life to the industry - both local and international.

"When I came back here, I kind of assessed the situation to see where I fit in best and created my own niche, because I do believe in my creativity," she said. "I am not afraid to take risks and use that creativity to forge through."

To this end, she is managing an emerging artiste, as well as moulding some other potential talent for their managers. "So I have been planting my seeds and I have been watering them to make them grow, so there should be some visibility to what I am doing soon," she said. "Positive music really does matter. It is needed and I am a part of the movement for a positive Jamaica."

member of JARIA

Her willingness to be a part of this surge to rejuvenate the music industry led Rattray Wright to become an active member of the newly formed Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JARIA) and she now uses this vehicle to channel her voluntary efforts to transform the industry. "It is fulfilling for me," she said, "because I am able to help with the foundation of what JARIA is supposed to stand for - and we do need an organisational body that has a force that is going to be heard and respected across the board internationally and not just locally."

As we leave Rattray Wright to attend to the calls and emails that were received during our interview, we are still left reeling at her ability to juggle her various tasks. With our new-found understanding of her past industry contributions, and having absorbed this woman's vibe, we look forward to finding out what Ms Rattray Wright will do next!