Touch of Shame!
Last year, while working on an album with her sister, teen hip hop artiste Iliana Eve bumped into a song that addressed an issue close to home.
It was Queen Ifrica’s provocative Daddy Don’t Touch Me There, which takes a stand against child molestation. It inspired the 14-year-old American singer to write and record the song Mommy.
“I’ve been working on the album Daddy Issues with my older sister and I was searching for songs with the word ‘Daddy’ in it for some ideas. Somehow I ended up finding the song Daddy Don’t Touch Me There, and it really spoke to me because I was going through some of the same things talked about in the song,” Iliana Eve told Splash.
At the time, the Kentucky-raised artiste was recording the song Tom’s Diner for Jamaican Kemar “Flava” McGregor, who also produced Daddy Don’t Touch Me There.
She met McGregor through her father who was also working with him. Tom’s Diner is expected to be part ofDaddy’s Issues, done with her older sister Hannahbella.
Daddy Don’t Touch Me There is from Queen Ifrica’s 2007 album Montego Bay. It sparked renewed debate on the sensitive matter of child sexual abuse by parents in Jamaica.
Iliana Eve said Ifrica’s forceful message revived painful memories of being sexually violated.
“I love the way she did it. The lyric that really hit me was ‘the long showers I take won’t wash away the memories’. It’s kinda hard for me to listen to the song because of the experience I’m going through now.”
Born Iliana Eve Hay in Houston, Texas, she is among the new batch of American pop sensations. She has recorded songs for rap icon Snoop Dogg and Cyhi The Prynce, best known for his collaborations with Kanye West.
Mommy is scheduled for release on April 21.