‘Viral queen’ Sita Lyrical looks to expand her brand

As she entered THE STAR studio, the vibrant spirit of dancehall's 'viral queen' Sita Lyrical was evident.

She duly credits the power of social media for her booming career, noting she got her break in 2022.

"Di people dem see mi perform at Sting and dem seh 'Dah gyal yah bad'. Right now, TikTok a weh a dweet fi mi - mi live stream dem just a blow up, nuff people see mi pon right deh so and mi just keep going viral," she said.

Growing up in a Rastafarian household, Sita Lyrical shared that being a prominent voice among the females in dancehall has always been her childhood desire.

"Mi father used to play reggae music but what I fell in love with was the vibrancy, the dominance and rebellious [nature] of the music - cause mi rebellious, enuh. Suh from mi hear dat, mi seh 'Yea man'. And from that I was introduced to [dancehall artistes] like Beenie Man and Bounty Killer and then later on to artistes like Skillibeng and Vybz Kartel and mi seh 'Yea man, dis is it, dis is what I wanna be a part of,'" she said.

Though she described the journey as being "rugged", her desire to fulfil her passion to the fullest kept her aiming for the top.

"Mi feel like di female artiste dem in the industry get overlooked, but mi a work and di people dem like it and a dat a di best thing. Suh mi have mi nice likkle fan base - it hard but mi a get there," she stated. She opined that she continues going viral because of her talent but moreso her genuinely charismatic and "down-to-earth" personality.

Sita Lyrical recently dropped a dub for entertainment minister, Olivia 'Babsy' Grange, and insisted it was not politically driven.

"Yuh know seh mi admire Babsy Grange and wah she duh fi di culture. And mi did jus feel like my talent and di love weh mi have fi she as a person, mek mi jus seh 'Yea man mi ago jus duh a dub fi her'. Because even though some people might not be in support of the party, there are people who just genuinely love she as a person," Sita Lyrical opined.

Sita Lyrical is also known for her fierce and sometimes 'out of pocket' advice and humorous viral clips which often carry an underlining message of "woman empowerment, valuing yourself and positive upliftment". But the artiste received heavy backlash for the performance of her most popular single S**n It Out at the Spanish Town High School last year.

"When mi go a di school, mi decide seh mi ago sing the clean version of the song. Suh mi up deh a sing and den mi realise seh 'Oh oh, it nuh feel like a weh mi a seh dem a seh'. Suh mi come off addi stage," she explained. However, she said she was instructed by a teacher that she could sing the clean version as she "wasn't doing anything wrong".

"Suh mi go back on pon di stage and as mi guh back on, di pickney dem louda wid di explicit version of the song. Suh mi stop sing and kinda dance and be professional wid it fi try control di situation and den mi seh 'Yuh know wah? Mi gone', and from mi come off, it went viral," she said. She explained that the Internet erupted with several negative comments about the video and her character but the most valuable lesson she learnt is "not to underestimate the power of social media".

However, with social media now being her best friend once again, Sita Lyrical has adopted new lessons and is now stepping into a more positive light.

"Mi nuh see obstacles, enuh, mi see stepping stones," she underscored, adding that she has made a "fiery" comeback with her most recent singles such as Ride It and Guh Dung. She highlighted that she has faced several "fights" in the industry, some of which she chronicled in her song, Deep and Dark. Despite the gloominess that loomed over her, she maintained a positive spirit and added that the single also proves her versatility as a young, fast-rising dancehall act.

"I'm the embodiment of a lot of features - mi look good, mi sound good, lyrical [and] versatile. Mi can sing, deejay and mi have some skills," she chuckled. "My ultimate dream is to go international, breaking certain records and taking dancehall from yard to the world."