Queen Ifrica, Hailed as REGGAE’S Fyah Mama, BREAKS NEW GROUND WITH HER TRail-BlAZING SOUND ON HER UPCOMING VP RECORDS ALBUM DEBUT Montego Bay AVAILABLE ON JUNE 16, 2009
The poised yet audacious singer/songwriter Queen Ifrica unveils her highly anticipated LP Montego Bay on June 16, 2009. Her strikingly complex Rastafarian voice achieves a rarefied balance on this 13 song selection with a stirring mix of spiritually empowering anthems, lover’s rock tunes and searing social commentaries featured on this dynamic debut for VP Records.
The dancehall styled title track addresses her hometown of Montego Bay’s glaring discrepancy between its pristine five star resorts verses the grim realities of a city wracked by poverty, violence and unemployment.
Her uplifting first single “Lioness on The Rise” (produced by Donovan Germaine) exudes her courageous and fierce nature at heart, then she displays her romantic side over a mesmeric one-drop beat on the rapturously sung hit “Far Away” (produced by Rickman Warren) and on “In My Dreams” (produced by C. Hurst), where her quixotic husky tone is reminiscent of the iconic song stylist Nina Simone.
She also tells a poignant tale of child molestation on “Daddy” (produced by Kemar McGregor) which has already received worldwide recognition and reached the top of reggae charts, even though certain sectors within Jamaican society attempted to get the song banned because of “Daddy’s” subject matter. “I wanted corporate Jamaica to realize that if a society is engulfed by violence we have to look at the homes where these violent tendencies are coming from,” remarks Ifrica.
“Montego Bay exposes the many sides on Queen Ifrica. She is traditionally a deejay, so we will highlight her raw fyah burn style on songs “Coconut Shell” and “Yad the East”, her heartrending sensational side on tunes like “Daddy” and her strong independence on tracks like “Lioness On Rise”, states VP Records A&R Neil Diamond.
Queen Ifrica born Ventrice Morgan, began her career in 1995 after shining at a local talent contest in her hometown of Montego Bay, Jamaica. This eye-opening experience eventually led to major stage performances in her country including the esteemed Reggae Sumfest as well as a union with Tony Rebel’s Flames Crew in 1998. With roots firmly secured in the Rastafarian faith, she blossomed as one of the top cultural artists in reggae swarming the airwaves with hits like “Randy”, “Jus my Brethren”, “Below the Waist” and “Daddy” and stealing the stages at major festivals and shows around the world (Summer Jam in Germany, Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, Bob Marley Festival, Reggae on the River in California and Reggae Sundance Festival in Holland). Despite her hectic schedule, Ifrica is involved in several youth outreach programs in Jamaica’s inner-city counseling abuse victims and other disadvantaged individuals. She also performs at various charity events shows where proceeds are donated to the cause.
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