JAMAICA-BORN Ruth-Ann Roberta Brown has been trying to get on the local and international music scene with her soulful and melodic vocals. Known for songs such as Unfamiliar Love and I Love You, the sassy musical diva has indeed been soaring on high under the management of Riczheron from Bran-Nu Entertainment. https://www.myspace.com/ruthabrown and Facebook® at https://www.facebook.com/ruthabrownmusic.

Ruth, who is also a trained English Language and Literature teacher, currently spends most of her time in Washington DC, but for her home is still in Jamaica, where she spent most of her formative years.

TEENage caught up with the musical belle recently to learn more about her music and future plans in the business. Here is the scoop.

TEENage: Where in Jamaica did you grow up and which schools did you attend?

Ruth-Ann Brown (RB): My first few years were spent in Westmoreland, where I attended St Leonard’s All Age and Dundee All Age schools. Then I moved to St James, where I attended Montego Bay High and then Herbert Morrison High. I then moved to Manchester and completed my studies at Northern Caribbean University.

TEENage: How did you start off doing music?

RB: It was by chance. A friend of mine suggested I combine my writing skills, with my singing skills so I did just that. I recorded my first song just to know what I sounded like on a CD. The engineer, who was actually working on a project, was so impressed that he asked me to write a song to his riddim. I did just that and then I started hearing myself on IRIE-FM and other local stations. Before that, I was singing on my church choir (smile).

TEENage: How would you describe your musical style?

RB: My lyrics are how I feel, and not necessarily what I think people want to hear. Much of my music is put against the backdrop of heavy drum and bass and combined with various guitar sounds along with the whistling flute. They echo my love of nature. Most of my songs are calm and soothing. I have been told my lyrics are simple, yet profound.

TEENage: What is your target audience?

RB: The young and the old. My music is tasteful and the concepts and emotions within them are not unique to any age.

TEENage: Who are some of the people with whom you have worked in the music industry so far?

RB: I have worked with the great Rhoan Bromfield, who produced my upcoming debut album, and some of the most talented and seasoned musicians — Darryl ‘Trane’ Burke, Mateo Monk, Lyndon ‘Ace’ Webb, and Leslie James.

TEENage: What are some of the shows that you have performed on and what was the experience like for you?

RB: I’ve performed on Reggae Summerfest in Washington DC and other venues in Washington DC as well. Before that, I performed at Red Bones Café in Kingston, a Valentine’s Day event where Freddie McGregor was the headliner in Mandeville, and a few other places in Jamaica. As for the feeling, once I’m on stage, I get lost in the instruments and the energy of the crowd — all of whom have been welcoming to me thus far. The feeling is electric.

TEENage: What are you currently working on?

RB: I’m working on my debut album and promoting my five-song EP, which includes the single Unfamiliar Feelings. It is available on Amazonmp3 and I-Tunes.

TEENage: What has the responses to your songs been like?

RB: The responses have been overwhelming. People from all over the world are loving them and I could not be more grateful.

TEENage: How would you compare the reaction of a Jamaican audience versus a foreign audience?

RB: Both Jamaicans and foreigners have been very receptive to my music, but foreigners ask me to visit their countries ever so often. People from Europe, Asia, Australia, you name it and they are the ones who actually buy my songs. Jamaicans, on the other hand, want to know if I can e-mail my songs to them for free or if they can download them from LimeWire.

TEENage: Is there anything that you would want to see differently in music in Jamaica?

RB: I dream of the day when our music industry will be more organised and less partial. Artistes won’t have to pay radio deejays thousands of dollars under the table to play their songs. Artistes will actually be paid when their music is played. And they will stop releasing so many songs before releasing an album, so that people can actually support the artistes instead of buying bootleg CDs.

TEENage: What are your plans for music? Are there any albums coming out shortly?

RB: I’ll continue making the exceptional quality of music that is expected of me then tour the world and sing my heart out to whoever will pay to listen (smile). Yes, my debut album is in the pipeline, but there’s no release date set just yet.

TEENage: When you are not doing music, what do you normally do?

RB: I like to read a good book and watch the Travel Channel, HGTV and Food Network. I also like to imagine myself walking on the beach, picking up sea shells, with the wind blowing through my hair (I have no beach in Washington DC, unfortunately).

TEENage: What is your best piece of advice to young people out there right now who want to do music? RB: The music industry is a shark tank. You can be a shark or the piece of meat they’re all trying to devour. Talent is not all, yet wanting to be rich fast is not the right motive either. You have to love music and actually have something to offer in order for it to be worthwhile. Above all, be true to yourself.

TEENage: Where can fans get the latest info on you? RB: They can contact me on MySpace® at

TEENage: Any shout-outs? RB: Definitely! (smile)… shout-out to all my fans reading this and people from NCU and Belair School in Mandeville.