She’s passionate, soulful, empowering and full of youthful positive vibes. Dancehall Soulstress Cherine Anderson, arguably the busiest and one of the most talented young female Jamaican singers today, is set to grace the mainstage of Jamaica Jazz and Blues festival on Thursday, January 28, at The Greenfield stadium in Trelawny. Anderson will perform alongside Babyface, The Whispers, Joss Stone, Monty Alexander and Joe Roy Jackson.
A musical breath of fresh air, the young artist hails from the tough streets of East Kingston, Jamaica, and has spent the last two years building a reputation of hard-hitting songs and captivating live performances. Cherine became familiar to Jamaican audiences first as an acclaimed child actress, having starred in two of Jamaica’s most successful films, Dancehall Queen and One Love. She has been nominated for multiple awards and was named Best Actress in a feature by MTV2 for the film One Love.
Movies aside, the singer/songwriter’s debut recording “Good Love” appeared on Sly & Robbie’s Grammy Award nominated album Anniversary. Media and reggae music lovers both at home and abroad quickly took notice of Anderson’s powerful voice . She has been steadily rising with local hits like “Coming Over Tonight”, “Kingston State of Mind”, “Good Love” and more recently “Talk if Yuh Talking” and “Shine On Jamaica”.
When asked what we can expect from her performance on Jazz, she responds, “Come out and expect to have a good time. There is a lot going on in the world right now so this performance is more than just entertainment, it’s for a cause. Jazz & Blues has decided to donate to Haiti’s Earthquake Relief, and I’m gonna give it my everything. I’ll be performing something extra special for my supporters and those who will be seeing me for the first time.”
Last year was a big year for Anderson. She performed at three events celebrating the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington DC (The Green Ball, The Peace Ball, Rock the Vote/Calvin Klein inaugural party), as well as the World Games Special Olympics in Idaho, USA. In August 2009, Cherine made history by becoming the first Jamaican female singer to hit the Billboard Rock charts. She is credited as a featured performer on Michael Franti and Spearhead’s “Say Hey (I Love You)” single. The song peaked at #1 on Billboard Heatseekers charts as well as iTunes Alternative Charts. “Say Hey (I Love You)” also reached #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts, and simultaneously registered on six other Billboard charts (Digital Songs, Pop Song, Adult Contemporary, Adult Pop Songs and the Radio Songs charts).
Only in her twenties, Anderson has already collaborated on official remixes with legendary artists including Madonna, Sir Paul McCartney, Britney Spears and Wyclef Jean, all before releasing her much anticipated debut album, which is scheduled to be released in 2010. Anderson spent last year touring Europe, Australia and North American with drum and bass legendary duo Sly & Robbie, the prolific Michael Franti & Spearhead and multi-platinum rock band Counting Crows. She also made her US television debut with Spearhead, appearing on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and recently performed live on the Ellen Degeneres Show.