MARTIN: How did you go about finding your way back to finding your voice and finding a way to say what it is you do want to say and presenting yourself in the way you do want to present yourself?Д®TANA: While I was in Jamaica, I met Richie Spice and he wanted me to just do one show - one show as a background vocalist in California - and I ended up - when I came back there was another show for me to go to in Jersey, with him. You know, they told me, I'm going to come to Jamaica and I'm going to find you and da, da, da, da, you know, you know, and even I was - I had bad moments too, where I was crying and feeling a little bit sad and feeling that, OK, maybe I should go back, but I just couldn't go back to not being able to choose my own shoes, you know, not being able to write my own lines or not being able to wear the clothes I want to wear, you know. When you said this to people, what did they say? Did they think you were crazy?Д®TANA: Yeah. I'm just - because people talk about how they don't like this image all the time, but then they don't do anything about it. Well, how did your bandmates and the other artists in your band feel about your decision? Did you speak with them about it? I'm interested in this because I am betting that a lot of people are wondering why more people don't make that decision. MARTIN: That's kind of a wild change, to opening up an Internet cafe. So I decided I would go to Jamaica and open up an Internet cafe and, you know, do business instead. After we took a break, I went to the rest room and I looked at myself and I said - in the mirror, literally, I said, is this what you really want for yourself? And, honestly, in my heart, I had to say no, you know, and I decided that if I had to do music and if this is what I have to do to do music, then I don't want to do it at all. And I remember the camera guy going really low when we were doing the choreography for the video. Do you mind telling that story?Д®TANA: I was in a group, a four girl group, in Florida, and I remember doing the video for the group and I was in lingerie, stiletto heels, looking really good, I mean make-up, you know, perfect. But I understand that, you know, your road to this point was not the easy one and I wanted to ask you to tell that story about how, you know, originally you were studying to be a nurse in Florida and you left college early to try to pursue your musical career, but you had kind of a moment when you said, you know what? This is not for me. I can understand why she asked you to sing. Do you remember?Д®TANA: (Singing) From a distance, the world looks blue and green and the snow-capped mountains white. MARTIN: Can you do any of it? Give me a couple of bars. MARTIN: 'From a Distance'? Do you remember it? MARTIN: So how did you come to the idea that maybe you could maybe do this for a career?Д®TANA: I think I was in primary school in Jamaica, where we had to do 'From a Distance' by Bette Midler and the chorus teacher asked me to sing, even though I wasn't in the choir, so by then I kind of knew that I had something, you know. I just love music and I love singing with my aunt in the yard while she washed her clothes when I was a little girl. Did you always think you could sing?Д®TANA: No. MARTIN: I understand that it was noticed pretty early in your life, when you were pretty young, that you could sing. Congratulations on the new album.Д®TANA: Thank you very much and thanks for having me. Here's some of the title track.Д®TANA: (Singing) Now is the time to recognize today is borrowed, so live it right. Her name is Etana and her third album, 'Better Tomorrow,' has just been released. But you might have also noticed that not many women have been mentioned in the top tier of those artists, so today we are going to meet a young woman whose soulful style and thoughtful lyrics have made her, at a pretty young age, one of the most respected women in reggae today.

If you like to travel or if you just like music, then you know that for decades now Jamaican artists have established the island as a musical force with names like Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff. I'm Michel Martin and this is TELL ME MORE from NPR News.

How to sing fantasia when i see you