Tasha T jokes that although she was born in Canada, persons usually assume she is Jamaican because of her thick patois, the Jamaican dialect. The Toronto-born singer wears that like a badge of honor. “When I try to speak Canadian, it’s hard for me. It just not working,” she said.
Projecting Jamaican-ness is something Tasha T has done since her youth. Her mother, who is from the fishing community of Old Harbour in St. Catherine, rural Jamaica, ensured her six children were aware of their heritage. A frequent visitor to Jamaica, Tasha T salutes the country on ‘Jamaica It Nice’, which dispels the perception of her mother’s homeland being a crude, violent place.
“I was inspired to write this song after seeing a lot of discouraging news about Jamaica through my social media channels. Most of it was about the high rate of crime and violence in Jamaica, especially from the travel advisory. This, in addition to hearing my friends and family say that they would never return to Jamaica or visit, was really disturbing,” she told this column.
‘Jamaica It Nice’ was released in 2023, but recently Tasha T visited Kingston to film a video she hopes will revive interest in the patriotic song, which she co-produced with Michael Nugent.
The visual, Tasha T added, should help introduce her to Jamaicans. “A music video will help to promote the single and the artist, because people like to see the face and want to know who is singing the music,” she noted.
A two-time Juno nominee for Best Reggae Recording, Tasha T is known in Toronto reggae circles for songs like ‘Fire in Me’, ‘Dem Need More Love’ and ‘Educate Yourself’. Her only album to date, ‘Real Talk’, was released in 2014.
