REWIND to the early 1990s. Jamaican dancehall artistes were having the time of their lives and the music was making mainstream inroads, particularly in North America. During that time, a number of acts were being signed to major American record labels and dancehall music was winning Grammy Awards.
Among the Jamaican artistes being signed was Nadine Sutherland. She signed to Elektra Records affiliate EastWest Records.
Fast-forward 20 years and Sutherland tells the Jamaica Observer that the song, Anything For You, released in 1995, was part of the move to shore-up her profile for the international market.
The team at Elektra, headed by Jamaican Karen Mason, decided to pair Sutherland with fellow Elektra artiste Snow, the Canadian deejay who had phenomenal success with the 1992 track Informer.
When an Irish kid from a rundown Toronto neighbourhood has the power to disrupt a giant beach party in Kingston, Jamaica with merely his presence, it’s fair to say he’s a legitimate star. That’s what happened to Darrin O’Brien, better known as Snow, on a trip to the sunny island late last summer. When the 32-year-old singer arrived at the Stone Love dance, news moved through the 2,000-plus revellers at light speed until the DJ was forced to stop the music and address Snow.