Tanya Stephens

Reggae singer and deejay Vivienne Tanya Stephenson, known professionally as Tanya Stephens, was on July 2, 1973 in St. Mary, Jamaica and launched her musical career as a dancehall-adjacent artist in the 1990s. Joining forces with Jamaican producers Dave Kelly and Philip "Fatis" Burrell, Stephens released her debut album, Big Things a Gwaan, in 1994, and its follow-up, Too Hype, in 1997. She scored her first major homegrown hit with 1996 single "Yuh Nuh Ready Fi Dis Yet", which was produced by Kelly. The success of the track, which was showcased on the Reggae Gold compilation of 1997, raised Stephens' profile and she began working with Jamaican producers like Barry O'Hare, Bobby "Digital" Dixon and Harvel "Gadaffi" Hart. Stephens garnered praise for a well-received run of singles throughout the 1990s and 2000s that included 1997's "Draw fi Mi Finger", 1998's "Freaky Type" and "Cry and Bawl" with Bounty Killer, later eschewing classic dancehall for a more socially conscious blend of reggae. She made a brief detour towards rock, moving to Sweden and recording Sintoxicated for Warner Music Sweden in 2001, but returned to Jamaica and in 2004 set up Tarantula Records with business partner and producer Andrew Henton. Stephen has released four albums on the label to date, including the celebrated 2004 album, Gangsta Blues, 2006's female empowerment-focused Rebelution, 2010's Infallible and 2013's Guilty.