District 5 promises ‘intimate music experience’ - Tanya Stephens to headline first staging

As anticipation grows for the inaugural staging of the District 5 live Acoustic Night series, patrons can brace themselves for a night of 'timeless, grown and sexy' music during an intimate session with reggae legend, Tanya Stephens, as she kick-starts this musical series this Sunday.

"Tanya [Stephens] was perfect for the space for what we envisioned the series to be going forward. [She] attracts a really grown and sexy audience and I think that's the perfect fit for District 5 to kick off the music series," District 5 marketing consultant Angiel Shaw-Myers told THE STAR. The event is scheduled for R Hotel in New Kingston.

"She is very great interacting with crowds especially in an intimate space, and I want the crowd to feel immersed in the performance and connected to the artiste. So I felt Tanya was the perfect person to start with. She will talk to the audience and draw them in, she's very captivating," Myers added. She said the series will, over time, feature a variety of new and well-known artistes, as it promises to be a monthly intimate music experience on the last Sunday of each month.

Though most of the new generation music is laden with strong autotunes and other vocal output correctors, Myers believes that, despite the changes in the musical landscape, there are emerging artistes who can perform a live acoustic show.

"I do think we still have a lot of soulful talents in the new school arena, like [reggae artiste] Sevana who has a lot of Tanya's energy; the whole [Protoje's Indiggnation] group, they do deliver great live vocals. But Tanya is just a Jamaican gem, she's one of a kind and her music is timeless. [However] there is the other side where there is like the 'choppas' and the other artistes that are trending that I would not be keen to put them on an acoustic set [because] they are very 'autotuned' and it sounds really different. The sound is a lot different from what it was back in the day," Myers shared.

She said that the recent promise made by Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke to implement two main entertainment zones in the Corporate Area will hopefully mean more grounds for more live events soon.

"That is honestly the hope, that is the hope" she stressed. "But I hope for some of the entertainment zones to be a little closer in Kingston at some point [because] they listed some that are so far out like in Port Royal. So it's not as ideal or easily accessible for the average person to go and attend these events so far out. So I'm hoping that, as they develop on those concepts of having entertainment zones, that they can find a space within Kingston. It's a step in the right direction but I hope, as they grow, they can find that balance," she said.