DJ Michael Ealey wanted me
to update the Streetwise Radio Big Splif’s 4:20 blog page with a
Reggae artist. I had no idea who to write about, so he started
suggesting artists that I would like. Michael knows I don’t like
the kind of Reggae, which is hard to understand. He suggested Tami
Chynn, while I was reading about her I found out she had a sister who
also sang Tessanne Chin. Yes they spell their last names different,
but they are sisters. I decided to write about both sisters because I
think they both are talented. Born in Kingston, Jamaica Tami Chynn is
the oldest she was born June 14, 1984 and Tessanne Chin was born
September 23, 1985. Their father is Chinese and Cherokee and the
mother is Black-Jamaican and British. Tami and Tessanne were exposed
to music at a young age; both their parents were in a band called The
Carnations. Tami moved to Leamington Spa, UK when she was 14 to study
the performing arts. Before Tami became a singer she was a backup
dancer for Shaggy. Tessanne on the other hand was performing at the
age of 6 with Cathy Levy's "Little People and Teen Players club"
one of the top performing arts schools in Jamaica. Tessanne at the
age of 12 moved to England and she got her first taste of cultural
diversity and she coped with it by writing songs. Tami signed her
first record deal in early 2005 with Universal Motown Records she was
24. Tami released her debut album in 2006 called “Out of
Many...One”, I really like this album it show how talented she is.
Tessanne released her debut album "In Between Words" on
December 6, 2010. These girls have performed alongside and
collaborated with of some great artist. Tami has performed with
international Reggae stars: Beenie Man, Lady Saw and on Sean Paul’s
album The Trinity on the track "All on Me". Tami has also
performed with Akon and alongside Verne Troyer, T-Pain, Shaggy, Lady
GaGa, Natasha Bedingfield and Colby O'Donis. As for Tessanne she also
collaborated with Shaggy on "Never Let Go", Trinidadian
Soca band Kes on ("Loving You") and was featured on a track
with the Legendary Jamaican band Third World on the song "By My
Side". Tami and Tessanne have to different styles and voices.
Tami is Pop/Reggae and Tessanne’s is more R an B/Reggae, I really
like both of them. Tessanne singing style in influenced some of my
favorite singers Aretha Franklin, Skunk, Pat Benatar, Diana King,
Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Bob Marley and late great gospel
singer Mahalia Jackson. Here are some songs I really like of Tami’s,
“Hyperventilating”, “Frozen ft. Akon”, “Over and Over
Again”, “Tell Mi Seh (Styled by Fifi Bell).flv”, “Neva Know”
and “Forever Your Girl”. As for Tessanne’s songs they are
“Hideaway”, “Black Books”, “Messanger”, “Broken
Melody”, “Loving You w/ Kes”, “Are Yuh Gonna” and “Control
(Are You Gonna)”. These two sisters can sing, they both have voices
that could rival some of these superstars, they are so underrated.
Listen to some of their songs on Streetwise Radio. You can also
listen to Streetwise Radio on iTunes, live365, MyGen365, Athena365.
LM