Tanya Carter has a smooth new reggae single and a slick music video, but the news is that she's hooked up with a Jamaican production outfit. A release from Kingston says she'll be working "closely with Christopher Birch of Birchill Records, who produced and co-wrote her newest single: Ex-boyfriend."
Producer Christopher Birch is quoted as saying that he thinks she can make it in the very competitive reggae industry. They are working on a new track. Until then, you can see her video for "Ex-boyfriend" above.
TANYA CARTER CALLS ON BIRCH FOR EX-BOYFRIEND
The sultry voice from Belize meets authentic Reggae
Kingston, Jamaica:- After more than two dozen performances across the world, Belizean songstress, Tanya Carter, has decided to spread her wings to Jamaica. Excited about crossing over to Reggae, she has been working closely with Christopher Birch of Birchill Records, who produced and co-wrote her newest single: Ex-boyfriend.
Singing since the age of 5, Tanya takes her inspiration from Jamaican greats: Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, and Burning Spear; and discovered at an early age her passion for Reggae and Jamaica culture. The Belizean is no stranger to Jamaicans, having opened for Etana, Luciano, Lexxus and Morgan Heritage and decided to come to the home of Reggae music to get a better understanding of the culture around the genre she loves, and to work with some of the best producers in the business.
With several years of performing under her belt, she is currently working on her second album, which contains Reggae, Jazz, Electro, Pop, Dancehall and R&B infusions. Her versatility knows no bounds and her passion for music has resulted in a number of accolades. The greatest of which is being named “Best Female Vocalist of the Year” at the Belize Music Awards three years in a row (2010, 2011 and 2012). Tanya’s debut album Daydreaming was named the best album in Belize upon its release in 2011 and tunes from the album graced the airwaves in Jamaica, Los Angeles, Africa, Mexico and even climbed to number 3 on the Lithuanian music charts.
Now, on a path to making authentic Reggae music, Tanya’s new single Ex-boyfriend, produced by Birchill Records, is a one of a kind composition. The infectious beat and catchy lyrics make it impossible for you to listen to the song just once and fully captures the common emotions involved with having an ex-lover you are not quite over, something many ladies, and even some men, can identify with.
Christopher Birch of Birchill Records says he was happy to work with Tanya:”She is a real artiste, a great singer with the full package, she writes, she harmonizes, she is very talented and it was a pleasure working with her. I think she can make it in this industry, Reggae is a very aggressive industry, so she has to put out the right energy, which I think she has. We have plans for more tunes, and the next one is very catchy, so Jamaica needs to watch for Tanya.”
Tanya’s sultry voice and precise melody on the track allows for easy listening and in no time you realize you are singing along. Although several songs have been written about this relationship dilemma, Ex-boyfriend brings a fresh spin on the situation. She belts “I never knew this feeling that you’re giving me would take me to another place with your love, see I never knew the loving was so good that it scared me and it made me want to fly away with your love” in the first verse, telling a tale of the love she has for her ex-boyfriend despite being with a new beau.
Tanya shows her command of patois in the chorus where she sings: “Although mi new man a treat me right, mi wah back mi ex-boyfriend”. And the story continues to unravel, after she confesses: “I must admit I’m not over you although we parted ‘bout a year or two, my new man he’ll never know, you’re the star of my show”. The next video below is that of two Belizean Music Stars Tanya Carter and Melonie Gillett in the music video "Low".
Flexxing with TANYA CARTER
“My inspiration for music came from my father. He introduced me to Bob Marley and Dennis Brown, and I just fell in love with reggae from there on.”
MOST would be surprised to know that these words were not said by a Jamaican artiste, but that of Belizean songstress Tanya Carter. She told teenAGE, for our Flexxing With that “Belize is very much in love with Jamaica, their culture and their music.”
The Belize City native is currently making a splash locally with her Christopher Birch-produced single My Ex-Boyfriend.
Before testing the waters in Jamaica, Carter has become a household name in her homeland, winning a plethora of awards, including the “Best Female Vocalist of the Year” Award at the Belize Music Awards for the years 2010, 2011 and 2012.
“My breakout song was Hero. I wrote it about my parents at a time when I wanted to quit music, because I felt I wasn’t getting anywhere. It became a real huge success to the point I was opening up for Etana, Luciano, and Morgan Heritage because of it,” said Carter.
Her follow-up hit was the patriotic, I Am Belize. The song would go on to be a promotional favourite to use by the Belizean government that commissioned a songwriting contest, in which it won.
Tanya Carter interviewed on TVJ Weekend Smile.
Carter would further represent Belize in a series of concerts throughout Mexico, in a cultural exchange between the nations where Belizean artistes would perform at Mexican music festivals.
Speaking on her reasons for visiting Jamaica, she elaborated that, “I came here to get to know this warm place, to find out the culture, and to get more familiar with reggae. I wanted to get a feel of what Bob Marley and Dennis Brown are talking about, when they sang about Jamaica.”
It was also during Carter’s initial visit to the island in January that she teamed up with Jamaican music stalwart producer Birch, the co-writer and man behind the boards for Ex-boyfriend.
“I wrote the song with someone in mind, and also it comes from the personal experiences of other persons that I talk to. Everybody has that one ex-boyfriend that they can’t get enough of, but eventually have to leave,” said Carter in describing the track.
Listeners can look out for another Birch produced single entitled Secret, which was written by reggae artiste Duane Stephenson. In addition, the Belizean artiste will be trying her hand at dancehall releases this summer.