Biography
read full story16-year old Jamaican singer-songwriter Samantha J, is a combination of youth, beauty and talent. Originally discovered by The Si Mi Yah Agency during a model and talent casting in Ocho Rios, Samantha is one of Jamaica’s most photographed and sought after models. In just a few weeks, Samantha has erupted onto the Jamaican music scene with her still unreleased first single "Tight Skirt," her debut song that has gone from the pages of her notebook to the airwaves of Jamaica in lightning speed.
“Tight Skirt” blends Samantha’s innocent and melodic vocal style while merging with ease the sounds of Patois with Pop, Dancehall and Reggae music. The track features a sample from the 1990s classic dancehall track “Tight Up Skirt” by Red Rat.
Upon first listen of this infectious track, key industry executives immediately offered their hometown support for Samantha and “Tight Skirt.” Influential Jamaican network Hype TV packed their bags and headed over to the video shoot to capture Samantha’s first steps of her rising star journey. Click here to see behind the scene highlights from the video.
The video for “Tight Skirt” was directed by Renais of Scorpio 21 and features Samantha transforming from school girl to street smart songstress. Filmed on the streets of Kingston, the video captures Samantha’s classic homeland in raw Jamaican style.
Prior to an official single release or even an established social network, Samantha was also featured on Jamaica's Entertainment Report, the most popular entertainment and culture television series in the country and viewed on many cable systems throughout the USA. This was followed by her first ever live performance at Jam World in Portmore in front of five thousand fans. It is no wonder that when she put up her first video on YouTube, an audio track of “Tight Skirt,” she quickly had over 15,000 views.
While her professional musical journey is only a few weeks in, it is clear Samantha J is off to the trip of a lifetime. Samantha is more than ready and notes, "This has been exciting, shocking and amusing all rolled into a dream come true. When I performed my first show ever just a few weeks ago and heard the audience singing along to my song, I felt a rush and connection with the audience that I can't describe! It felt magical and I felt at home. I can't wait for the next show, the next video, the next everything!"
Samantha’s influences will be familiar to most teens. Artists like Justin Bieber, Alaine, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Konshens, and Michael Jackson have inspired her deeply but it is her own unique blend of Island Pop that will set her apart on the charts. Influential U.S. radio DJ and programmer Pup Dawg from Clear Channel in Boston recently discovered Samantha and echoes the sentiment saying, “Tight Skirt’ by Samantha J is going to be huge and that is only the beginning. The entire project is insane. She's beautiful, talented, and confident. She's got it all to become this massive superstar while reppin Kingston, Jamaica to the fullest!”
It is Samantha’s embrace of her deep island roots and passion for her Jamaican heritage and rich tradition of music, dance and food that run through all of her creative endeavors. Artistic by nature, when she’s not creating music or modeling, Samantha J can be found in her private studio drawing, painting and converting photography into skillful portraits—creating breathtaking art, while always generating new ideas for inspiring songs. Her song arrangement and lyrics are as skillful as an established veteran songwriter.
Samantha’s creative team includes her personal inspiration, Alaine, the award-winning Jamaican songwriter, artist and actress. As well as music production gurus Conroy Forte of Washroom Entertainment (Sean Paul, Beenie-Man, Shaggy, Konshens) and KeAngelo Maybury aka DJ HeadNoize (UpperClass Album) of HeadNoize Productions and UpperClass Entertainment. With an arsenal of master beats, this fully loaded duo is the pulse behind Samantha’s riveting tracks.
With Samantha J’s unmistakable blend of pulse-driven Pop, Dancehall, Reggae and R&B, the anticipation of her first release has quickly reached a boil on her native island. With compelling good looks and outstanding vocals, it is evident there is something very special simmering. Samantha J is the complete package — talent, youth, beauty, courage, originality, and star-power, all combined for a rare fusion that is sure to ignite and blaze a whole new trail from Jamaica to the world.