Friday, 31 January 2014

HOW OPRAH SAVED MY LIFE


Books were my pass to personal freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi”  Oprah Winfrey

Oprah WInfrey 
I heard those words and it changed my life, never was I the type to pick up a book for anything; I have always used television to explore the world. My mother often told stories of how I was the prefect baby; as the stories would go; she would sit me on the couch in front of the television; do her daily house cleaning and, I would not move or make a sound; oh yes I was a saint! Soon it became my fixation as the years went by; sadly I have no memory of ever being read a book, told a bedtime story, or shown the alphabets outside of school. Some may think I am crazy for saying this, but I would go as far as pretending; television characters were my friends and family members. As a result I isolated myself from other kids in my community; and became lost in my own world. To be honest I don’t remember ever having a fixed bed time, so I would fall asleep and wake up to television; as a result I still need the sound of a television to put me to sleep at night.   

I do remember being introduced to good books in high school like; To kill a Mocking Bird, A raisin In the Sun, Merchants of Venice among others, but while sitting in class all I could think to myself was; where could I get my hands on the movie; by this time reading was defiantly not my thing. After high school I decided to follow my never ending urge to be on television; so I headed off to broadcasting school with one thing in mind which; I eventually accomplished; hosting on the popular television show Fiwi Choice Top Ten Charts, while developing my production skills behind the camera. Thinking back to my first audition; five years ago I remember saying to the interviewers, television is my best friend; they all though that; that was truly sad, but it was my truth; not realizing how surreal that statement was; but no one had a clue of what I had been thought in life; for me just standing in that audition was short of a miracle; all they saw was the cute smile I learn from watching television for years; who knew I had become a stellar actress in my own reality show of life.

One day I will rule the world through television” Shonda Rhimes

Shonda Rhimes
Shonda Rhimes; creator of the television series; Grey’s Anatomy, and recently Sandal blew my mind while watching her exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey; were she told Oprah she use to say; one day I’ll rule the world through television; which was ironic to me, only because at the tender age of thirteen; I stood in front of my bathroom mirror said the very same words to myself. At that moment felt like I had one of Oprah’s ah ha moments; it took me back to a time when; all I could think about was being creative, but something was holding me back; from my true calling; I lacked the writing skills, to express myself effectively; so others could understand my vision; hence TheRoad Show Ja Blogger became self-therapy; as I intend to write until I possess the skills to write an article for such news editorials as the Huffington Post, a book or even a feature film one day.

When you have something to do; life will not allow you to move on until you do it” Iyanla Vanzant


Iyanla Vanzant
I have felt trapped in my mind for a long time; coming alive only; on stage or in front of the camera; trapped because I was set in my ways and one directional using television as my great escape; while living in my own imaginary world not showing the true beauty of my personality. I was holding my own self back from achieving greatness; and something had to give; so I opened a book and left Jamaica for the first time in my life, I picked up a pen and decided to write whatever's on my mind without the fear of ridicule of my spelling or grammar; I chose to face my own fears and become.  Once I took that step the gates of creativity opened wide, I feel like a butterfly breaking from the caterpillars cocoon for the first time ready to fly away, leading me to the creation of my own television Show; Road Show Ja, Road Show Ja radio and starting The Roadshowja Blogger, this is just a tip of the iceberg for me, i still enjoy watching television; but no longer to escape, I choose to be in the presence of my wonderful self now a days, and watch a lot of Super Soul Sunday on OWN. Lookout Jamaica I’m coming; so allow me to reintroduce myself; my name is Debbie Debz and #igotmyeyeonyou.

Writen by: Debbie Debz

Thursday, 30 January 2014

A NEW BREED OF JAMAICAN FEMALE ARTISTS GEAR UP FOR A 2014 PUSH ONTO THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE

D'ANGEL
The women of Reggae/Dancehall have always had to fight for what they want, ultimately breaking the doors down, in a male dominated market.  Lady Saw who have had her own battles on her way up; but overcame them to find Grammy winning success; she recently released her new remix featuring Flo-Rida (Heels On) which is steadily moving up the charts;  When I interviewed her last year at Rum Bar Rum Road flex it was still in the pipeline but she was confident and excited about the collaboration.

TIFA
Hip hop and other Genres around the world have always looked at Jamaican artists as trend setters, and over the last couple years I’ve watched; both Nikki Minaj and Rihanna pay there respect to Jamaica and Reggae/Dancehall with successful renditions of Reggae/Dancehall music on the commercial front; which leads me to believe now more than ever that it’s time for another Jamaican female to take the spot light; like their pop star predecessors; Marcia Griffths, Rita Marley, Dawn Penn, Grace Jones, Diana King, Patra, Lady Saw, and newcomer Tessanna Chin.

SAMANTHA J
Road Show Ja has been paying close attention to a new breed of resilient Jamaican female artist on the move; like Ishawna, Raine Seville, Tifa, Lisa Hyper, D'angel, ICandy, Samantha J, Shanhill, and Konfydence; who have turned to the social networks to give them the edge needed, to break into the international market and it’s working.

ISHAWNA

Samantha J, Tifa, and D’angel seem to be running for gold as they make strides into the commercial market; Tifa in particular has turn to platforms such as Facebook, instagram and twitter; marketing herself as a brand not just an artist, and is reaping the benefits; while attracting major corporate brands left and right offering them exposure to her fans around the world. In the latter part of 2013 Samantha J seemed to live on HypTv which prepared her; to take the BET 106 and Park Stage by storm showing young America a preview of what is to come; which also resulted in somewhat of a social explosion on twitter and other social networks that she took full advantage of.


LISA HYPER
After a successful year; with only 5 days to go before the New Year D’angel took on; Bring the Sting, and became the highlight; keeping with tradition only to ridiculed by the media; but D’angel emerged as the victor receiving great review on international social media; attracting new fans.    

Road Show Ja caught up with Lisa Hyper while in the studio with producer/Artist Esco as she was laying her vocals on the Motown’s Pop group B5’s remix to “Say Yes” which Bling Dawg also appeared on. We asked Lisa what was her take on social networking, and if she feels she can make it using the cyber word? “For me It’s just a matter of time, mi a work hard, and a mak the right connections, Facebook allows booking agent from around the world fi book mi, mi post pictures to Instagram everyday so mi fans dem can get to know me better; I’m more than an artist am a woman on a mission; I want people to see mi for who I am on the way to the top, Jah kno mi a go make it”. Lisa hyper might possess that extra edge it takes to make it, has the fans base to prove it. 
KONFYDENCE

Before the world can see or hear you, you must first commit hard work to gain any form of recognition, and Maypen’s rising star; Konfydence seems to be working overtime; making her presence known; which makes her one to watch out for this year; as she moves into the cyber world; while on the other hand the sexy sultriest Ishawna, is making her own push for success coming off a slew of hit in 2013, she turned to youtube posting video after video; according to Youtube she has almost 3 million hits on her content overall; so I’m sure the Downsound team plan to capitalize on her monetization and sale conversions as they gear up for a 2014 assault.

RAINE SEVILLE
Last on our list is Raine Seville, Icandy, and new comer Shanhill. With a great run last year Raine Seville seem to be on a steady rise making hit after hit while attacking the social network for her piece of the pie; hovering over twitter; showing love to all her followers while she skillfully diverts them to Youtube as she builds her channel pulling in more than 900,000 hit last year overall.

iCANDY
As for Icandy who we all know comes from a family of hit makers (brick and Lace); more than anyone on this list has been on the front line with her sisters, and now is harnessing all that knowledge to make her own run for 2014; with a major social network presence. Road Show Ja was granted an exclusive closed door listening session with her producer Esco where I got a chance to hear what Icandy has in store, all I can say is #slapway; it done.

Last but not least; at last years Young and in charge Concert; a new voice caught my ear by the name of Shanhill. So I caught up with her production and management team (Starstruck Production) while preparing to take a trip overseas to record with producer Carlos Jordan of NuComm Entertainment; an affiliate of the Sony USA; with Flo-Rida, Kat Dahlia, and many more under his belt. 


SHANHILL
Road Show Ja reached out to Mr. Jordan to find out what he thought about Shanhill “I heard the song “How You Hurt Me” on Youtube, and was taken by surprise, everyone in the studio stop to say is this Rihanna all over again, so I had to reach out to Starstruck, to make my mark on this album”. We then turn our attention to Starstruck’s Ceo who said “Were rolling a loaded dice on this one; we can’t lose, you heard her with your own ears, she’s a diamond in the rough, we plan to take our time so she can master her craft before we present her to the world, we’ll leave no stone unturned with this one, we recognize that were working with a female artist in a male dominated market, and will give her the support needed to break out of Jamaica and touch the world stage; look out for Startruck Production in 2014; trust this will be one for the history books”. We dug a little further and found out that the Queen Lady Saw herself has bless, Shanhill, and played a vital role her early development; So get ready for Shanhill. 

The world today; is literally one click away, and these ladies are taking full advantage of it; so keep an eye out for them, and show your support. I leave you with a new hashtag #jamaicangirlsrock 

Writen By: Debbie Debz















Wednesday, 29 January 2014

JAZZ AND BLUE FESTIVAL JAMAICA 2014


The 18th annual Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, is here again with another awesome international lineup; with Toni Braxton, Chaka Khan, Marcia Griffith, Joe, Arron Neville, Beres Hammond, The O'Jays, Chisette Michele, Bryan Art, Chronixx and many more; which means the Trelawny, Greenfield Stadium is sure to be rocking from Jan. 30 - Feb. 1 2014; one performance in particular that fans are anticipating is Jamaica's own Beenie Man; who as the promoter puts it; will be giving fans another side of himself. Beenie Man has always been known for his many stylings; from Dancehall to Country music; so get ready to be entertained, the doctor is in; ladies come get your prescriptions.

Sources close to Road Show Ja say according to airport authority’s; arrivals are up as patrons pure in from around the world; needless to say the jazz and Blues Festival has always been great for tourism, and the economy as a whole as it brings in new revenues to the market place each year. So lets show our support, and don't forget to patronize the vendors as they play a important role by introducing our food and culture to travelers from around the world who tend to buy Jamaican products like Red Stripe, D&G, and Grace Foods when they return home. 

For those looking for the ultimate VIP experience; get up close and comfortable with Top shelf drinks, delectable food, front stage access, and VIP parking; Road Show Ja would say Its definitely the best seat in the house for more information check out the "The Lounge at Jazz" via touchtix.net
Written by: Debbie Debz


    











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Tuesday, 28 January 2014

"WE THE BEST"


from the left Dj Khaled, Ace Hood, Vado, and Mavado
The highly anticipated "We The Best" mixtape by Dj Khaled, Ace Hood, Mavado & Vado is gearing up for Khaleds annual assault on the music industry, but this year will be different; as Reggae/Dancehall superstar Mavado takes center stage in what we at Road Show JA would like to call "The Mavado experiment". Will this mixtape give Mavado the necessary push needed to Join the small but powerful club of diamond selling Reggae/Dancehall artist such as pop-stars Shaggy and Sean Paul. 

More than anyone in the hip hop industry Khaled may be the only executive out there that truly has insight to the Reggae/Dancehall industry, and its strong hold around the world outside of the American market. It has been said to understand khaled strategy, you must first understand the Jamaican dancehall culture. 

Signing Mavado may prove to be one of the strongest tools they have; as they grow stronger globally. Don't sleep, Khaled is like a mad scientist ready to release his Frankenstein type strategy on the industry, and we have the proof; as sources close to "We Be The Best" say they have more than beefed up their presence in the cyber world, and created unique social network media alliances on all seven continents to prepare for online sales like never before. 

It is said that the Caribbean diaspora consist of more than 250 million people around the world, and we believe Khaled is after our Atlantis, and there is none more deserving. 

We leave you with this; Jamaica's motto "OUT OF MANY, ONE PEOPLE" so we ask that the world support this Mixtape, giving Mavado the ability to shine bigger and better than before. 
Written by: Debbie Debz












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