With a soulful and unique voice, Etana has emerged as one of the most talked about and sought after acts in reggae music. So much that, in this their 17th year, Rototom Sunsplash named 'The Strong One' as part of the festival's eight-day line-up, amongst a host of other big names and reggae veterans. In true Etana fashion, the powerful songstress left Spain as one of the best acts.

Etana showed that she would be further cementing her place in reggae music, when she let loose a sterling set in front of the capacity-filled venue, and her music was nothing foreign to the audience. The reggae-hungry crowd gladly soaked up every lyric, chord, and sound that came bursting out the towering speakers, and were not disappointed.

As they sang along to hit after hit of an enchanting, exciting and captivating performance from 'The Strong One', one could tell that she was one of the most anticipated artistes on the line-up. Deafening screams of approval grew louder when her set began to unfold and Etana went into August Town, Free, Jimmy Cliff's You Can Get It and The Harder They Come, which the crowd bellowed word for word.

hot duet

The tempo did not fall, as fans were elated to hear her perform the hot duet Blessings with Italian reggae sensation Alborosie before going into songs like Warrior Love, Roots, Nuclear, I'm Not Afraid and Marcia Griffiths Don't Let Me Down.

Etana described the feeling onstage as amazing, and one that had her "at a loss for words at the crowd response".

As screams and chants of "Etana" resonated throughout the crowd, the Strong One humbly returned for an encore performance where she did Bob Marley's Redemption Song and One Drop.

"It never gets old, putting the microphone to a crowd and hearing the thousands of people sing your song back to you. It's an incredible feeling and the experience here in Spain was just amazing," said Etana.

The festival moved from its home in Italy to Benicassim, Spain, a venue that boasts 300 days of sun per year and is accessible to Europeans all over, whether by plane, boat or train. Rototom Sunsplash usually presents the best in reggae music on one stage. It is no wonder that the organisers host over 130,000 patrons from over 120 countries.

What is also true is that reggae music has evolved, and Etana has been able to make her way, carrying the reggae torch and heating up airwaves with current singles like August Town, Crazy Love, Free and Happy Heart.