WATCH! Long Awaited Official Video “Avocado” – Janine “Jah9” Cunningham
Reggae singer Jah9 found inspiration close at hand for her song “Avocado”: right there on her plate while she was eating breakfast. Speakeasy today premieres a video for the tune, from the Jamaica native’s album “New Name.”
The color-saturated clip takes place around tables, as Jah9 (born Janine Cunningham) shares meals, including a luscious looking salad featuring the song’s namesake fruit, with friends.
“Anybody that knows me knows that I’m a foodie,” she says by email. “So biting into the first avocado of the season and how it complimented my meal was really enough to inspire pen on paper and I wrote it right there at the breakfast table.”
Jah9 grew up in the rural western part of Jamaica before moving with her family to Kingston, the capital, while she was in high school. Though she had long sung in church and school, she discovered Rastafarianism and dub reggae in college and began writing songs.
She recorded “New Name” with producer Rory Gilligan, an associate of the popular Stone Love Movement sound system in Kingston. In addition to helping in the studio, he provided Jah9 with an education about dancehall reggae style and culture, she says. “We ended up spending a lot of time talking about this history and the song is somewhat of a tribute to the ’80s style and sound,” she says.
“New Name” came out in February. What do you think of the video for “Avocado?” Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Jah 9 says, “We have a saying in Jamaica ‘As man plan Jah wipe out’ which simply means that ultimately we are all subject to the divine timing of the Most High. But fret not! It will be worth the wait. Give thanks for the continued love and support… Avocado is on the way!
– 9Source: NY Times Blog
