INTERVIEW : LADY SAW
Interview by : Sébastien Jobart
Pictures by : DR
on Wednesday, April 18th 2007 - 139 076 views
Muse of slackness and a figure of 90s female dancehall, the sulphurous Lady Saw has not dulled with the years. Unshakeable self-confidence coupled with a strong personality are her main weapons for returning to the forefront, three years after the release of her last album. A hard-hitting interview with a Lady who has lost none of her outspokenness.
Reggaefrance / You're releasing a new album on VP, it will be your sixth.
Lady Saw / You know what? I think it's more than that, because some albums came out without me even knowing. But I don't know: honestly, it could be the 8th or 9th album, I have no idea!
What will this album be like?
I could sing the songs for you, but I have a cold. On this album, I sing more, I leave more room for the singing. Infertility, for example, is very personal. It will be the first single. It's about my experience, because I had to adopt. It's about women who can't get pregnant or who do but lose the child. It's very intimate. I sang it on stage in Jamaica not long ago, and I saw women crying. Baby dry your eyes and Silly Dreams are also very beautiful songs. My crew is more hardcore, for the street, like Chat mi back, which is doing well in Jamaica at the moment. "Walk out" is a very beautiful album, I'm very proud of it.
You started singing very young, at the age of 15.
I used to go to dancehall parties at night, I'd sneak out because my father didn't want me to.
One night, someone handed me the mic… Yes, I started very young. I also sang in church, in the choir.
 La seule chose que je n'aime pas, c'est que certains artistes se disputent, et peuvent même en venir aux mains... 
What drove you to pursue a career in music?
I became a singer because I noticed very young that I could become one. I realised that I was able to pick up songs very quickly, and that I remembered lyrics I had learned by heart weeks later. That's when I told myself: "I'm a singer!"
Tenor Saw had a huge influence on you…
He's actually my only influence. He was a great singer whom I admired enormously (he died in 1988, ed.). When I was young I copied his style, I sounded like him, and that's why I was first called Female Saw, then Lady Saw. That was at the beginning. Afterwards, I started doing my own thing.
How do you view the current dancehall scene?
Dancehall artists are doing well here. The only thing I don't like is that some of them quarrel, and can even come to blows. Music has nothing to do with violence, and I'd like all that to change. It would be so much better. There are loads of young people coming through with a lot of talent, I like that.
How do you position yourself in relation to all these artists?
My position is that I'm at the top, whatever happens. People pay to get into the charts, but not me. Sometimes you see a song that's top of the charts and it makes no sense. They're not talented, it's so obvious they paid to end up at the top of the charts. I hate that. The way I see it, darling, is that I'm the queen of all this. There are plenty of envious women around me, jealous of my position. The facts speak for me: I was the best at singing dancehall, I'm still the best, and I don't pay to be in the charts. Nobody can take my place, absolutely nobody. I'm like Mary J Blige, you can't take the crown from people like that.
So you're not afraid of anyone?
They can't compete with me, even on my worst days. And they know it. That's why they talk behind my back.
In "Made in Jamaica", we see you in your kitchen, starting to improvise, then rushing to your home studio to record. Does that kind of scene happen often?
I like cooking, so I'm always in my kitchen. From that room, you can go either to the studio or to the bedroom, yuh understand? Most of the time, it leads to the studio (laughs).
It's all about inspiration, the moment?
I just have to call my sound engineer and say "yo, send me a new beat". If I like it, I'll work on it, if not, I do nothing. I'm always in the studio, always.
It's at your place, so it's bound to be easier…
It's comfortable, I'm happy there with John John (her husband, a producer, ed.). There are always musicians and engineers helping me in the studio, writing riddims…
You're known for your very explicit lyrics, not to mention your stage act…
You know what darling ? When I'm on stage, I'm like a madwoman. I entertain people, and I would do anything to entertain them. Not show my vagina or that kind of thing, but when it comes to talking about sex, believe me… You can put me on stage and forbid me to say anything vulgar, I'll do it anyway! I can ask my fans what they think. Most of the time, they don't want me to "behave" on stage (laughs). So I give them what they want.
Is that why you started writing songs about sex?
I started when the guys were already singing that kind of lyric. At the time, I was singing pretty, clean songs, and it wasn't taking me where I wanted to go. So I became like the guys. The difference is that I don't dirty women and their sex. I sing about the beauty of it, how to keep it beautiful, how to use it. I've never sung degrading songs.
You're also a mother, how do you combine the two sides?
My children don't know what I sing. Now that they're grown up, they can hear things, buy the CDs… But they're grown up. When you bring up your children, you can teach them to choose the path of reason. They could also get lost on the wrong path. They're big kids now, and they can do what they want. They're good kids. I never took them to dancehall parties when they were too young, and I still don't. I could take them to see Akon, but not Kartel.
Having slackness lyrics can make you a star in Jamaica, but compromise an international career…
I have no problem with my lyrics. They've taken me all over the world. I don't even record those songs any more. I could record a whole album without singing slackness lyrics, I'm versatile.
You were part of Shocking Vibes. Today, are you still tied to a crew?
I'm totally independent now. Why? I used to be a Shocking Vibes artist, but they weren't giving me what I felt I deserved. So I had to leave them. I don't have a crew because I don't like ungrateful people. You can help artists become known and respected, thanks to your name. But as soon as they become famous, as soon as they make money, they get big-headed and start showing off. I don't want them as friends. I have a few friends like Spice, whom I tell people about. But I don't want to get mixed up in a crew again.
They say that when you were younger, you went around with an ice pick on you…
I grew up in the countryside, where everything was quiet, based on love and unity. When you arrive in Kingston, everyone wants to fight you because you come from the country. I fought with guys older than me, and even women. I defended myself. Yes, I was a fighter. I had to let it be known that I wasn't someone to be messed with. Now, I've grown up, I don't live in the ghetto any more, I don't need to fight any more. There, you survive.
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