Although born in Washington DC, singer Hassanah considers herself a citizen of the world. She has lived in different regions of the United States, as well as Nigeria and New Zealand.

Through those travels, the singer has developed an appreciation for diverse cultures and sounds. Including reggae.

On August 11, her second album The Real Thing was released. It is produced by Jamaican Danny Breakenridge for Upstairs Music, an independent company based in South Florida.

Their initial collaboration several years ago was a cover of Mariah Carey’s We Belong Together.

The 11-song set contains original songs such as the title track, Bills, Bills, Bills, plus covers of Gregory Isaacs’ Front Door, the Marvin Gaye/Gladys Knight and The Pips classic, I Heard it Through The Grapevine and By Your Side, originally done by Sade.

“My writing and singing style is influenced by my exposure to many different musical cultures including African, Polynesian and of course classic R&B and reggae, especially roots. I’ve been listening to reggae since I was a young child. My parents always had it playing in the background as I was growing up and in Nigeria, it was very popular and was on the radio all the time,” said Hassanah, whose biggest influences include Stevie Wonder, Sarah Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald.

Prior to the Upstairs Music project, she did sessions as a backing vocalist with singer/musician/producer Mikey Spice.

Hassanah’s first album, Journeys, was released in 2021. It was produced by Javaughn Genius for Badass International.

Howard Campbell