- Ayesha Dawes

Twenty-one year old Tamar and twenty year old Tessanne Chin-Lin are poised to be heavy hitters in Jamaica’s music industry. Each young woman has the looks, composure and most importantly the talent to not only be noticed but to hold an audience’s attention. With contrasting styles - loosely R&B versus Rock - it is refreshing to know that these sisters occasionally help each other out with song writing or arrangement. In their first interview together and Tessa’s first since leaving Mile High for a solo career, it was clear to me that the sisters shared a special and important bond. In between telling me about their passion for music and hopes for their futures, they spent a lot of time laughing (mostly at each other’s jokes). And although they support each other unconditionally, work together informally and we’ve interviewed them together, Tami and Tessa have separate careers; neither is willing to jump on the other’s coat tails to get to the top.

THE FOUNDATION
There is no ‘day job’, nothing to fall back on in case the music business doesn’t work out. And I don’t think they’ll need it. From early on, music was at the centre of the sisters’ lives as they paraded around the housing singing into a hair brush…or as they shamefully admit, singing into the fan. Come on, I know you did it too. These youthful antics were complemented by watching their own parents’ musical exploits. As members of the band The Carnations, their parents taught Tami and Tessa early about stage performance and different kinds of music. Their parents fed their daughters’ love of music and encouraged them to put 120% into music instead of the ‘safe’ day job first and music at night type of lifestyle. They told their parents that they wanted to do music and got a firm and loyal ‘OK’ from them; since then, they have given Tami and Tessa a lot of encouragement and support. This support is priceless and has really allowed Tami and Tessa to focus on their music. For each girl, it is the #1 priority.

After attending Sts. Peter & Paul Prep School and Little People (Tessa first at age 7 and Tami later on at 8), the entire family moved to England for four years, a huge lifestyle shift for Tami and Tessa. But they seem to have used the abrupt culture shift to broaden their musical tastes. Most noticeable is Tessa’s interest in Rock music, which took root after seeing Tina Turner perform. While in England Tami completed high school and then went to Performing Arts school for four years, where she studied dance and acting. Tessa also completed her high school education focussing on music-related subjects.

TAMI’S TALE
In five words, Tessa describes her sister as beautiful, a trendsetter, focussed, funny and my friend. We get to see this obvious beauty every time she makes an appearance but while we were talking, I was impressed by the beauty that came from within. Her songs tend to have a light, pop feel that so far have appealed to young and old fans and accurately reflect her easy-going personality.

As early as a year and a half ago, Tami travelled back and forth to Miami to record demos with producers South Soul. Her debut single, Rock You featuring Kid Kurrupt was produced by South Soul and gave Tami a chance to showcase her smooth and powerful R&B voice with a dancehall flair. Tami’s most well-known songs have infused some dancehall into her style. And no, this is not because she’s trying to get her foot in the door. To get exposure Tami doesn’t need to use dancehall as a gimmick because she clearly has the vocal goods. Instead, Tami explains, her focus on R&B while during her demo work was not at the expense of incorporating other kinds of music and was really more about her trying to figure out her sound and style. In fact, during these ‘Miami sessions’ Tami decided to try dancehall to see if it fit, and it did.

Another misunderstanding that Tami (and Tessa) deals with comes with being ‘high colour’ – a browning. The stereotype that she and her sister are “uptown rich girls” couldn’t be further from the truth but still has forced Tami & Tessa to work a little harder. For Tami, music should be for everyone. She feels strongly that her music should be listened to and appreciated on its own merits rather than with the added baggage of her skin colour. But she hasn’t let it bother too much and has forged ahead with her music career. She fondly remembers her proudest moment at her first performance at Meadowbrook High School. “The kids went crazy!” she recalls. “It was overwhelming!” This is why she enjoys her music career; the response from the fans, being able to do what she loves and most importantly being recognised for her talent.

Tami can be seen in heavy rotation in a number of music videos. Her singles Hyperventilating [STEPZ; Renaissance Records], Mi Nuh Waah Dat [SLOW BOUNCE; H2O] and Why [SICILY; CJ Records] are very popular and have brought her much attention from the fans (and even a few prank calls included). The funniest fan experience though is when a man who delivered a package to her home briefly called her aside and said, “Tami, I jus wah let yuh know seh Wayne really did go play football, him never go to di girl house.” Of course he was referring to her cameo appearance in Wayne Marshall’s Arguing. Many even think that she and Wayne Marshall – who she describes as cool, laid back and funny - are a real-life couple. But in fact, Wayne and Tami are just professional collaborators and she enjoyed working with him.

Of course, Tami is working on her first album, which she hopes will be released this year. Although she will be sure to have some established artists featured on her album, Tami wants her first effort to be mostly about her and her talents. On the production side, she will be working with top producers including South Soul (of course) and Jamaica’s own Lenky and Don Corleon.

In the very rare moments when Tami is not working, she enjoys sleeping (a popular family pastime as you’ll see), watching movies and hmmm: making prank phone calls.

TESSA’S JOURNEY
Her voice comes from deep within. It pulls at your heart and gives you chills. The girl’s got some serious soul. Tessa is best known as the lead singer of Mile High, Jamaica’s most popular Rock band. As part of the band, she appeared at the Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival and RETV unplugged and helped introduce Jamaica to a “rock, Reggae” sound.

It was during her time in England that Tessa became enamoured with rock & roll, and the hard edged style certainly seems to fit her and her voice. Despite the obvious influence of Jamaican music – mostly Ska and Reggae – on Rock & Roll artists like The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and No Doubt, Tessa still gets some pressure to do more dancehall. But she’s not giving in; a “roots, rock, Reggae sound” is definitely her thing. She even points to some early Bob Marley tunes that have a bluesy or rock sound, so she knows her choice really isn’t odd. It seems that even as our music is influencing others, we’re content to focus inward and have a one track mind about our music; sometimes it’s almost as if we won’t let our own music grow. But let’s face it, you don’t hear much rock on Jamaica’s radio and so there’s still the stereotype that Rock & Roll is just some serious heavy metal. Tessa’s music will be sure to change this misconception.

Tessa hasn’t had much trouble convincing others of her talent. In 2001 she tied for first place in the Divas in Concert with Patti Labelle and Gladys Knight competition. And then, of course, there’s being lead singer in Mile High, which wasn’t an easy task. The decision to step away from Mile High to pursue her solo career was a hard one for Tessa, but also one that she feels was natural. It wasn’t easy for her to move on after sharing two years with the band but she feels like being on her own is part of her growth as an artist.

Her growth into a solo artist will not be instantaneous. For 2005, she expects to spend time writing songs, working on singles and getting her name onto everyone’s lips by releasing ‘underground’ tapes and seeing the response she gets. And I’m sure she’ll get a breathtaking response. Remember now, the girl’s got some serious soul. Her voice and style I think would be a welcome addition to the cache of emerging female artists.

Tami describes her sister as funny, kind, focussed, talented and outgoing. Like Tami, in her small amount of spare time Tessa loves sleeping, sleeping, brushing the dog, sleeping (like I said, it’s the family pastime) and playing with the dog. Testament to the fact that neither of the sisters takes herself too seriously, Tessa says that her proudest moment was, “probably when I delivered my dog’s puppies! It was so exciting!” Of course this resulted in laughter from Tami and they went off on a little discussion about the puppies, some of whom they haven’t been unable to give up.

TAMI & TESSA
Both artists feel that the Jamaican artists, especially the younger ones, need to know more about the industry and suggest workshops as a way to meet this need. They liked that there were in 2004 there were so many female artists either in or breaking into the industry, and are looking forward to seeing many more.

The sisters’ informal collaboration on songs gives each a chance to work on a feature that isn’t as dominant in their respective musical styles. For Tami she is able to express more feeling in the songs she helps Tessa to write since her songs “aren’t as deep as Tessi’s songs.” Conversely for Tessa, she gets to explore a more flirty style when she helps out Tami. For now though the sisters will continue to support each other in this way as there aren’t any immediate plans for the sisters to put out a song together.

Tami and Tessa have the talent and passion and show the drive necessary to succeed in the Jamaican music industry. Many new female artists are emerging but I’m sure that neither Tami nor Tessa will get lost in the crush. Each young lady brings a fresh vibe and enthusiasm to the scene but still don’t expect anything to be handed to them. Tami’s smooth, strong R&B voice and hard work have already scored her major points with producers and fans alike, and with her upcoming album she’s sure to give her career a big boost. Meanwhile, don’t forget to listen out for Tessa’s soulful, reggae-rock voice on those underground tapes; prepare to be thrilled. Tami and Tessa have some wonderful gifts in store for Jamaica.