Shuga pays tribute to one of reggae’s great harmony groups on her latest song, Tribute to The I Three . The single is produced by Donovan Germain.

“I definitely had to do a tribute to the I Three because they’re my mum’s favourite group,” said Shuga.

Two members of the group, Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt, are featured on the song.

Formed in 1974 as backing vocalists for Bob Marley and The Wailers, The I Three also included Marley’s wife, Rita. They appeared on several of his groundbreaking albums including Natty Dread, Rastaman Vibration, and Exodus.

They also scored a handful of hit songs including Neighbour, Jealousy and Many Are Called. Marley, Griffiths and Mowatt also have successful solo careers.

According to Shuga, the I Three are more than amazing vocalists.

“(They had) One message; I am a black woman and I’ve been through struggles, I’ve been through tribulations but in the end, a only Jah alone,” she said.

Shuga added that her tribute was also inspired by her father who owned a sound system which played positive and conscious music.

Tribute to The I Three coincides with Shuga’s recently launched Femme Phenomenal Foundation, which encourages young women to be vocal against domestic violence, injustice and abuse.

“This tribute is definitely needed right now because we have a lot of misleaders. Negativity is being promoted so, why should the positive remain silent? We need to speak because people need to hear. You can say something positive and save a life,” said Shuga.

Formerly Brown Shuga, she won the Digicel Rising Stars competition in 2009. Prior to that, she was a background vocalist for Tanya Stephens.

Her debut album, Phenomenal Wombman, is due in March.