Five Questions with Ishawna
Published:Friday | July 22, 2022 | 12:06 AMSade Gardner/Staff Reporter - -
With only one week to prepare for the ‘greatest reggae show on Earth’, Ishawna exhaled and said, “I don’t know how dem get mi fi do this in one week.”
The Everybody Need Someone singer pencilled in some time for this week’s Five Questions amid her hands-on involvement in everything concerning her Reggae Sumfest performance at the Catherine Hall Entertainment Complex in St James tonight.
Still, she shared, “It’s always a blessing and, of course, I’m always going to love performing for my Jamaican audience and I feel like they miss me so I feel like that’s why I’m doing Sumfest – for the fans.”
It’s been more than three years since local Ishy fans saw her in person, with her last performance being A Taste of Sumfest in 2020, the virtual edition of Reggae Sumfest where she delivered a standout performance and trended online for several days.
Fresh off a new collaboration with pop star Ed Sheeran, Ishawna is in an exciting place and talks about this and more in this week’s feature.
1. You’ve been deliberate about not doing any shows for the past two years, remaining focused on recording. How did you know you were ready to return to the stage?
It’s more of a spiritual thing. I’ve been working for years straight and I just felt like I wanted a chance to slow down and just have that freedom to record and that’s what 2020 did for me. I just didn’t want to rush my process and I just feel when you know, you just know, so, for me it was just a feeling. I started feeling excited again. Of course, every time I record a new song in the studio I was excited, but I just knew it wasn’t the right time, but now I felt like it was the right time.
2. How have the preparations been going?
It’s been very, very hectic because I’m very meticulous when it comes to my performance and my look, and trust me, it’s been a very busy week. I’ve been trying to do enough rehearsals because, of course, I need multiple rehearsals like everybody else, but just trying to get everything done in one week has been a challenge. Although it’s been a short time for me to get prepared, I still feel like everything is going great. I got enough rehearsals, everything is running smoothly, so I’m thankful for that.
3. You recently released ‘Brace It’ featuring Ed Sheeran which is nearing three million streams on Spotify. How pleased are you with the feedback so far?
I’m happy with it, I’m happy that my fans love it. I’m happy that even if you’re not a big Ishawna AC, you still appreciate it because a lot of people love the song from all over the world. I just feel good because it’s something I really took time with. We recorded it since last year and I didn’t rush the process. I wasn’t ready to put out anything. I just took my time and made sure it was something I was 100 per cent happy with and I knew that people would love it, but you’re just never prepared for how people are going to receive your art so I’m just really happy that people are really embracing it and enjoying it as much as I do.
4. Are there plans for a music video?
Yes, look out for the Brace It video as well. I feel like right now I might drop probably two more singles before the summer is finished, it just depends on my mood. My biggest problem is figuring out what to put out next because I have so much work and so much music piled up.
5. Where next after Sumfest?
I’m leaving for Miami where I’ll be doing a press run for the project. I’m returning to Jamaica in August for THE STAR’s one million celebration party. I’m not doing any performances yet.