Macka Diamond to go on Sweet 16 birthday tour

Dancehall deejay Macka Diamond will be celebrating her 'sweet 16' with a US birthday tour in January.

The Big Woman Vs Yung Gyal artiste has announced tour dates running from January 8 to 22 in Connecticut, New York, and Ohio. More dates are to be added.

"I usually do one big birthday bash, but there's a time when I'll say, let me do a tour, because a lot of people will say how I didn't tell them about my party so they could fly in," Macka Diamond told THE STAR. "With things kinda opening up now and everybody taking their vaccine, mi seh mek mi bring it across."

The idea of a birthday tour merges the concepts of a birthday party and a concert, so Macka Diamond said patrons will see her cutting her cake and performing their favourite records, while getting "up close and personal" with her.

"Also, that's the time when a lot of my co-workers step up to the plate, for who wants to be part of it. I have a lot of special guests, and I'm looking forward to seeing a couple of them, like selectors and artistes," she said. The Hula Hoop hitmaker said her birthday shindigs have always been a grand affair, even during the pandemic.

With live events in Jamaica still at a standstill because of COVID restrictions, she is not yet able to confirm if she'll have a Jamaican show. Her wish for her upcoming chapter is to "stay focused and go wherever God leads me".

"What a lot of people don't understand about life is that when you reach a certain age, you mek it feel how you want it to feel ... . Right now you have to do you, 'cause a lot of people not here anymore and you are, so you have to just give thanks and don't overdo yourself and stress," she said. She is currently working on her self-produced Diamond in the Rough EP, which she hopes to release next year.