Words by Michellee Nelson, Photo and Video by Kevin Ornelas—
She might prefer to be at home in Ocho Rios, indulging in some of her mother’s jerk pasta, but Jamaican singer/songwriter Samantha J has been hard at work out on the road since her debut single “Tight Skirt” became an instant hit earlier this fall. LargeUp recently caught up with the 17-year-old as she stopped into Vanity Projects in New York City’s Chinatown to get her nails tun up during her stateside promo tour with YouTube star Andrea Russett.
Clad in a black leather vest with matching boots, the seemingly reserved teenager discussed everything from her personal style to how she balances her school work with recording, as nail artist Raquel Nevarez embellished her fingernails with the Jamaican flag, the title to her hit (and, thus far, only) song, and other designs. Her initial sweet and soft-spoken demeanor was soon discarded, as she opened up and performed “Tight Skirt” and upcoming single, “Run Come,” accompanied by guitarist Ranoy Gordon. Watching her command the attention of the entire room, you would never suspect that this multi-talented highschooler (she paints, too!) had performed in front of her first live audience just a few shorts weeks ago.
Our camera caught her unplugged performance of “Tight Skirt” and, if you were skeptical of her singing abilities, this clip will definitely change your tune. Watch the video here, and read our full Q+A with Samantha J below:
LargeUp: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Samantha J: My name is Samantha J, and I’m a 17-year-old singer/songwriter from Jamaica. I just released my first single about a month ago called “Tight Skirt,” [sampling] Red Rat’s “Tight Up Skirt” from the 1990s. My song is really a reply to his song where he’s like [singing] “Ay you gyal inna di tight up skirt.” I’m the one who comes and says, [singing] “Mi a di girl inna di tight up skirt.”
LU: Red Rat’s “Tight Up Skirt” is about as old as you are. Had you known that song for a while?
SJ: Yeah, since I was growing up. It plays all the time so it’s almost part of our culture.
LU: Tell us what you’re getting on your nails…
SJ: I just told her to do whatever she feels like except I want two nails to have a Jamaican flag and I wanted to have [one with] “Tight Skirt.” And then a bunch of gems and colors and stuff.
LU: How do you normally maintain your nails?
SJ: I usually go to the nail salon in Jamaica maybe once a week. I usually keep it simple. even if I do acrylic, I’ll usually just do one color. I just had white [nails] before I came here. But right now I’m getting some crazy stuff. She’s going to put some crazy colors on it and some crazy gems, and put “Tight Skirt” on it.
LU: When did you start singing? How did you get started?
SJ: I’ve been singing since I could talk but I started to record about a year [ago] now. I started out modeling in Jamaica. Conroy Forte from Washroom Entertainment—he’s the producer of “Tight Skirt”—we recorded a song and he ended up loving it. So he brought it to Gary Bernstein and now I’m international [laughs].
LU: Are you surprised at the fanbase you have already?
SJ: It’s grown so fast it’s crazy. I’m actually on tour with Andrea Russett, who is a Youtube celebrity so her fans and my fans meet up in the same place and we have a big meet and greet.
LU: The concept for your “Tight Skirt” video was based off Britney Spears?
SJ: Well, maybe the classroom in the beginning.
LU: …And the outfits.
SJ: Yeah, and the outfits—it has that feel. The video was shot in downtown Kingston, which is really different, and there’s a lot of dancehall choreography in it.
LU: Are you a fan of Britney’s?
SJ: I love Britney. I listen to all of her songs.
LU: Would you say that she is an influence?
SJ: I would say so. She and Rihanna.
LU: So, you are from Ocho Rios…
SJ: Yeah, it’s one of [Jamaica’s] main tourist attractions. It’s really small compared to anywhere up here but it’s home.
LU: There’s tourist Ochi, but how would you describe your Ochi, the real Ochi?
SJ: Well I don’t deal with the tourist stuff all the time. There is Mystic Mountain and Tranquility Cove, and a lot of rivers [but] I like to stay home.
LU: What?! You’re 17 and already a homebody?
SJ: I have to be really disciplined, but I like to go out. If there’s a little party or a dance I’ll go with my friends, or the movies…
LU: As a young artist, you have to be a role model for female, younger fans, while also saying hey, you can still have fun. How do you find a balance?
SJ: With “Tight Skirt,” it’s not edgy to the point where it’s a bad influence, because actually it’s uplifting. It’s talking about us girls being confident and loving how you look. There is nothing wrong with saying sometimes, “I know I look good!” It’s just helping to build confidence.
LU: Talk about your style a little bit.
SJ: My style is always different. I love bright colors but today I’m wearing dark. I love leather and studs and silver and gold and glitter. Edgy but young and fresh.
LU: What are some of your thoughts on fashion in Jamaica?
SJ: Fashion in Jamaica is different. It’s kind of influenced by America now but when you go deep into Jamaica you can see the real dress. You can tell when you see a Jamaican.
LU: Dancing is prominently featured in your “Tight Skirt” video. How has the dance scene in Jamaica influenced your music?
SJ: In Jamaica, dancing is a part of the culture. Music and dancing just comes together because Jamaica is dancehall. I didn’t even really have to do much rehearsals. Of course I had to for the video, but it was natural.
LU: Have you always kept up with the new dances?
SJ: Always. Growing up you just know them—Weddy-weddy, Willie Bounce and all these dances.
LU: So you’ve been One Dropping it lately?
SJ: Yeah, I actually do “One Drop” in the video.
LU: Who are the dancers in your video?
SJ: They are actually two young ladies I met in Kingston. One is Raquel, and the other has a really cool name I don’t remember [laughing], and she’s gorgeous, too.
LU: What about the guys?
SJ: You know how Jamaicans just love to dance? They weren’t a part of the choreography, they just came in, and they could dance. We were playing the song, and it was just natural so everybody’s just dancing. It looks like choreography [but] it’s actually just us having fun.
LU: Tell us about your plans for upcoming singles.
SJ: I have a couple singles I’m working on and an album. I have this song called “Run Come,” and another called “Angel.” They’re not all uptempo, but I think we’re going to stay more uptempo because that’s what everyone’s expecting and then maybe for the third or fourth it will be something different.
LU: I hear you also do photography.
SJ: Yeah, I do it for fun. I love to paint and draw, that’s my hobby. I like to sketch animals, flowers and people. I paint anything, mostly abstract things.
LU: So you are an artist in the full sense of the word?
SJ: Anything that deals with creativity I just love it. Even cooking.
LU: Are these are your first shows you’re playing right now?
SJ: This is actually a radio promo tour [so] I’ve only done minor performances like in radio stations and things like that. I did a performance in Jamaica in August in front of 5,000 people. The single had only been released a week at that time, but surprisingly everybody in the crowd knew it. I was like Oh my God, my first single. This was in Portmore, Jamworld.
LU: Did it feel natural to you to be up there in front if so many people?
SJ: When I got up there I got the feeling that’s where I needed to be—onstage.
LU: What are some of the interesting responses you’ve gotten?
SJ: Everybody’s loving it. Of course, once you’re international you automatically have haters. But the fans back me up. If you look on my Youtube page, you see fans putting other people in their place because they’ll say, ‘Oh she’s not Jamaican, she’s white.’ Even though I am Jamaican. The motto if Jamaica is out of many, one people. Everybody there is not going to be colored dark, you see different-looking people.
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