It can be safely stated that Lady Saw is now considered
Jamaica's top lady DJ. While she stands at a petite
five feet five inches, she has the voice, the appeal
and the stage presence that allows her to stand above
other reggae dancehall performers in any arena. She
is an accomplished artist and songwriter and continues
to step up the game in the industry.
Lady Saw was born Marion Hall and was raised in Galina,
St. Mary, Jamaica. She has always been both humble
and ambitious. In the early 1980s, at age 15, Marion
began as a singer whose natural talents were confined
to her own home town, but with consistent motivation
from her peers and the will to achieve stardom and
recognition, she took a trip to Kingston. She found
herself working on a sound system called the Romantics,
but would only work for a few dancehalls at a time
before returning home with the stage name she acquired
from dancehall patrons. She was referred as Lady Saw,
because her style was so much like that of the late
Tenor Saw.
Like any budding star, Lady Saw always anticipated
her success, and the night Stereo One sound system
came to St. Mary, it was her chance to represent and
prepare for orbit! That night, she demonstrated versatility,
as she substituted her singing voice and clung to
some DJ lyrics, scoring dividends as she performed
alongside luminaries, such as Lt. Stitchie. Lady Saw
was indeed a natural crowd pleaser and this performance
set the pace for much larger events in the very near
future.
Lady Saw returned to Kingston and produced her first
recording on the Capricorn label, titled "Love
Me or Lef Me", followed by "Bogle Dance"
and "Am I Losing You", which became a top
10 song in Jamaica and England. Soon to follow were
some real lusty tracks, such as "If Him Lef"
and "Stab Out the Meat", which are still
considered dancehall favorites today. She was on the
verge of stardom, and when she recorded the #1 hit
single, "Find a Good Man" on the Diamond
Rush Label, it quickly became the sentiments of many
women, and found great favor with the massives, placing
the "Lady" in full command.
In 1994, Lady Saw was asked to attend Reggae Sunsplash,
Sumfest, and Sting, the biggest stage show held in
Jamaica, with crowds of at least 60,000 to 70,000
people from all over the world. To say the least,
her performance was extremely tremendous and she received
numerous encores. Since then, this controversial artiste
continues to work on stage shows and fascinates her
audiences the best way she knows how. Lady Saw delivers
whatever the crowd wishes to hear, from spiritually
and culturally uplifting songs to uncensored and raunchy
ones. She has definitely proven herself as a force
to contend with, not only in the studio, but also
on the stage. Lady Saw continues to relate to her
crowd unlike anyone else.
The sensuous Lady Saw has walked away with almost
every award in the female categories for reggae since
1993. She also has an impressive string of #1 singles
and top 10 hits. "If Him Lef", 'Find a Good
Man", "Give Me the Reason", "No
Long Talking", "Sycamore Tree", and
'Healing" (featuring Beenie Man) are just some
of the more memorable, to name a few.
Some facts about Lady Saw
· With five albums under her belt, Saw is
the undisputed Queen of Dancehall Reggae music.
· Collaborated with Beenie Man on the single,
"Healing".
· Collaborated with DJ Clue,
· Collaborated with pop artiste, Vitamin C
on the single, "Smile".
· Appeared on Rosie O'Donnell show and Jay
Leno's "Tonight" show.
Lady Saw is the kind of singer, songwriter, and DJ
who uses her life as a creative source and presents
it in such a way that others can relate to it. Destined
to remain the undisputed female DJ, no one can dispute
the immense talent this "Lady" possesses.