‘My Ting Different’ - Tosh Alexander’s new project mixing R&B and dancehall

Recording artiste Tosh Alexander is still basking in the endorsement she got from Sizzla Kalonji on her latest single, Can’t Give You A Try. The track, which is a modern spin on Kalonji’s classic, Give Me A Try, was officially released last week and has been garnering much attention for the singer. But as that single continues to gather momentum, Alexander is looking to release her next and says there is no slowing down anytime soon.

“Last year, I dropped one song in the pandemic, not realising that this thing was gonna really throw us into a long-term lockdown. Everything started in March and I was thinking by September/October we would be OK but, no. When I realised the state of everything, I was really just focused on maintaining my mental health because it was really a tumultuous [time]. So I was just having to re-assess and reflect and decide how I was going to move forward. While I was doing that, I took the time to record music from a place of authenticity and to figure out how to make my music cut through the noise,”Alexander told The Gleaner.

The result: staying true to her R&B and dancehall roots. “The songs that people have been hearing from me like the Bubbles and so on, were very dancehall, but what people don’t know is that I grew up in the States for a lot of my life and RnB is very much a part of my culture. I realised that when I was in America, my songs were very R&B and when I am in Jamaica, they are very dancehall. So I was like where is the balance? I have to meet in the middle and so I spent a lot of last year doing that,” she said.

She’s planning a slew of releases for 2021. “This year, every six weeks, I am dropping a new song. My next single is called My Ting Different.” Revealing that that is also the title of her next album, Alexander says the upcoming project will show off the balance she was able to create last year. She says it will showcase a good blend of her R&B singing abilities, as well as her dancehall side as she aims to also address social issues, a side of her listeners have not yet heard. ­­­

“ My Ting Different taps into all sides of me and instead of trying to compare myself to others, I am trying to create this lane for myself where I mix up the sounds with my experience. My Thing Different is for everybody who feel like they have something different about them and they need to own that. Now is a time for us to be honest with ourselves because authenticity is the only way to get by now,” she said.

The crooner is eager to release the songs on the new project. “I am excited about the project. There will be 12 to 14 songs on it. I have a song coming out called Better Must Come, which is relevant to the times we’re going through right now. I am very much committed to using my voice and my platform to speak on issues as it pertains to women, humanity, those oppressed and this album is going to do just that. It’s going to showcase that other side of Tosh that cares about the livelihood of people. I am tapping into every space,” she said.

shereita.grizzle@gleanerjm.com

­