As dancehall music continues to sink into darker stages, with degrading women and promoting violence now the norm, shouldn’t we question the social responsibility of everyone involved in the music making process, or should we only focus (blame) the artists?

I’ve often wondered how an engineer sits behind a console and records things like: “dung inna har throat,” “mi kill baby pan breast,” and the likes. Furthermore, how does a producer get said lyrics and accept them as suitable for his rhythm driven project, record label and basically something he will permanently be associated with? What about the blogs, magazines and reporters that shed light on these type of music, giving them a platform to be seen and heard?

As Jamaicans who care about the overall moral state of the nation, we need to speak out against, and reject the direction popular dancehall music is heading in. None of us live in a bubble; this level of negativity, or dear I say evil, that we are allowing to dominate public spaces, will, sooner or later, affect us all. I fear that it has already started.

An observation by Maria Jackson

On Friday, April 17th, Swedish dancehall artist Etzia shared her highly anticipated single ‘Let My Spirit Fly.’ The record is a collaboration done with international recording artist Sean Paul — the man behind mega hits like ‘Get Busy,’ ‘Gimme the Light’ and ‘No Lie.’

‘Let My Spirit Fly’ was conceptualized last March while Etzia and producer Partillo (who has worked with Chronixx, Anthony B, Christopher Martin, Charly Black, Collie Buddz, Machel Montano, Norris Man, Wayne Wonder, Fantan Mojah and others) were visiting Kingston, Jamaica. Shortly after their arrival they went to the deejay’s home to work on the song and was greeted by an overzealous Sean Paul, who apparently loved the rhythm so much that he immediately began creating lyrics and melodies. Needless to say it did not take long to complete this record.

Before returning to Sweden, Etzia and Partillo did a mini media tour on the island as they were gearing up to release Etzia‘s debut album “Motvation.” The hard work paid off as tracks from the project enjoyed respectable rotation on several major stations in Jamaica as well as overseas (Irie FM, David Rodigans’ show 1xtra on BBC radio etc.).

Though ‘Let My Spirit Fly’ is on the “Motvation” album, Partillo, Etzia and the rest of the team wanted to share it now. Their position is as follows: “this single is a freedom song dedicated to people struggling with their inner battle. In these times, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, Let My Spirit Fly inspires hope and understanding for the individual and world we live in.”

Click here to listen and download ‘Let My Spirit Fly’ from iTunes and here to check out the visuals.