DANCEHALL act Ishawna, is just beginning to make her mark on the local music scene, but she is definitely not short on confidence. She is the first to acknowledge that she is trying to break into a very competitive field, but that doesn’t faze her in the least as she says, “I am a musical chameleon, I have flair, style and spunk!”

Born Ishawna Natalia Smith, she says the one thing she will not do, is limit herself where her music career is concerned. “I don’t do one kind of music, I do dancehall, R&B, jazz, you name it, I can deliver in any area as I believe I’m quite versatile when it comes to my recording career,” she shared with the Observer.

Ishawna’s love affair with music began from a very young age. Being the daughter of singer Don Angelo, who made a name for himself in the rub-a-dub era singing for King Jammy’s in the 1980s and 1990s, and the niece of singer Paul Elliot, it’s not surprising that she has chosen this route.

According to her, there was never any doubt in her mind that this would be the path she would take. She recounts with a laugh her fascination with music and her mom trying to keep her focused on school.

“It used to kill me when opportunities to voice would come my way and my mom would be like ‘she has to finish school first!”

Born in Kingston, Ishawna grew up in both Brooklyn New York and Jamaica where she attended Canarsie High and Meadowbrook High respectively. As a youngster she idolised singers such as the late Garnett Silk, Anita Baker, Celine Dion, Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé.

At age 15 she was introduced to the New York-based singer/producer Ed Robinson by Junior Demus, a family friend. Through Robinson she got a chance to record her first professional demo, a compilation of five songs, which she penned herself.

After going back and forth between Jamaica and the United States, she moved back to Jamaica in 2005, where she met the popular selector/producer, Foota Hype, who decided to guide her musically.

Among Ishawna’s current releases are Good Love on Don Corleon’s Feminine rhythm, For You featuring Demarco; her combination singles with Elephant Man, Take It and Give It To Me.