Dear Editor

Like all Jamaicans here and abroad I am thrilled by Tessanne Chin’s success on NBC’s The Voice. She is an amazing talent and a natural-born ambassador for this country. She is confident, beautiful and gracious. Tessanne has long been a special, versatile light on the local music scene, but The Voice was the perfect opportunity for her to be accepted as a true world class talent able to sing a variety of musical styles with equal power.

While I love her voice and style, I also love the fact that she has shown the world that Jamaicans defy stereotypes. Tessanne doesn’t fit the typical idea of a Jamaican musician or a typical Jamaican period. Yet she is very much a Jamaican born and bred. There’s nothing typical about her. She magnificently represents to the world the cultural diversity which our national motto tries to convey.

We enjoyed watching Tessanne perform as a family and that led us into fun group discussions about our favourite songs and bands from the past to present. There was a lot of singing, dancing and laughter in our house the past few months, and with one performance in particular came tears that proved to be cathartic. Underneath it all was the combined pride that Tessanne sparked within us as a people.

Tessanne is simply outstanding. We stand in awe of her talent. We are grateful, too, for the happiness she has ignited in our hearts, which seems to have united us at a time when we badly need hope.

Tessanne, the whole nation supports and congratulates you. We wish you all the best as you continue to soar, holding the Jamaican flag high.

Rebecca Tortello-Greenland

rtortello@hotmail.com