EMERGING singjay Taneka said she almost lost faith in music producers after constant sexual advances. Instead of being preyed on, she is receiving a fair chance to be heard after meeting current manager, Spice, in 2016.

“My first cousin is the make-up artist for Grace Hamilton (Spice), so she really introduced us. I was at home and my cousin called and said: ‘Hey, I’m with Spice and I let her hear your song and she she likes it.’ Grace said: ‘I like your voice; can you sing a song for me?’ I was really excited and nervous, I went silent for a while then hung up, and I felt so embarrassed. When she called back I was like: ‘The signal dropped’ and did a song. She took my number and said she was going to give me a call,” Taneka told Splash.

Soon after, the two began to work together professionally with Spice as her manager.

“She started taking me to her shows and would say to me: ‘Mi a go call you up to make you perform’, and I would get so nervous, but she never gives up on me and she always pushes me. It is twice as hard for females to get in the music industry. When I was 17 I went to studios to record and after me finish record, the producer naah talk ’bout the music, him want take me to lunch and do other things,” said the 30-year-old.

Taneka deems Spice a mentor and is pleased to be under her wing regardless of her manager’s busy career.

“I am patient. If she nuh push herself, nobody will see me, so she being busy helps me at the end of the day. I have tried with other managers and when mi reach the studio dem want talk ’bout mi panty. It never did really a work until I met Grace; she works really hard and that inspires me,” Taneka said.

The video for her first single, Fling It Gimmie, produced by Cash Flow Records, is set for release today. It was directed by Xtreme Arts.

Taneka (given name Gillian Morris) was raised in August Town in Kingston and realised her passion for music while attending August Town Primary School. She later attended the Convent of Mercy (Alpha) Academy and discontinued due to peer pressure. She however furthered her education at the School of Excellence and Pre-University. She has a six-year-old daughter.