PaperTrail: Sevana
Author: Jamal Jordan, Detroit Hub | jamal@thepapertag.com
This week, PaperTag returns to the island of Jamaica to highlight another local talent. The next artist highlighted in the PaperTrail series is none other than the soulful reggae artist Sevana!
Sevana is a singer, actress, and model from Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, on Jamaica's west coast. She has been singing since the age of 8, and she even entered Jamaica's singing competition, Digicel Rising Stars, in 2008 with two of her friends at the age of 16, where they advanced as top ten finalists. Sevana notes that living in Jamaica drew her closer to the industry because she is constantly surrounded by the island's music. Sevana draws inspiration from a variety of artists like Beres Hammond, Amy Winehouse, Coldplay, Bob Marley, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, and Prince; however, her biggest musical inspiration comes from Celine Dion, who inspired her to use her voice for social awareness.
Following her debut on Digicel Rising Stars, Sevana developed her sound with the release of singles and her work on reggae star Protoje's 2014 album Ancient Future; then, she released her self-titled debut EP Sevana in 2016. Sevana's beautiful singing voice and songwriting abilities are on full display in her debut EP, especially on songs like "Bit Too Shy" and "Carry You". Her debut establishes her as a phenomenal talent in Jamaica's music industry.
Following the success of her debut EP, Sevana released a single entitled "Justice" in 2018 where she sings about the effects of climate change on the environment. By using her voice and the power music to bring awareness to a growing issue, Sevana establishes herself as an environmental activist. Her love for the environment and her love and musical talent go hand-in-hand.
In 2020, Sevana released her second EP Be Somebody. Her sophomore EP contains 6 consistently amazing tracks. Back-to-back bops! The standout single from this EP is "If You Only Knew," which is energetic and catchy enough to be addicting! He soulful blend of reggae and R&B is what makes Sevana an amazing lyricist and musical artist.
Stream Sevana's music, and join us next week for another installment of PaperTrail!
