Zhayna

Zhayna is a fashion forward, soulful Jamaican Singer/Songwriter. She made her debut as a solo artiste in 2020 after years of performances as a background vocalist for reggae artistes such as Koffee, Chronixx, Etana and Daniel Caesar, which allowed her to grace multiple international stages. She provided vocals for the albums of grammy winning artistes such as Shaggy, and also grammy nominated artiste, Spice, among others.

As a native of Kingston, Jamaica, her love for music was entrenched at an early age; however the “performance bug” bit her in 2009 when she decided to participate in an open mic session at Jamnesia (monthly Surf Club Jam Session). Since then, she has used the strong influence of Reggae and Dancehall, mixed with her own love for Jazz, R&B, and Neo-soul as the perfect inspiration to converge these genres in her songs.

She released her first song, titled “Runaway”, in November 2020, which showcased her vocal prowess in a seamless mixture of reggae and dancehall beats, accentuated by R&B. Her February 2021 release– “I Love the Way” – features her playful, sultry tone but maintains her signature style of high notes that soothe the soul. Her third release – “Outside” touts a lover’s rock reggae vibe accented by a pulsating dancehall beat that has created a buzz locally and throughout the diaspora. Adding to her diverse repertoire, her latest single “A5en6on”, released in February 2024, evokes a feeling of nostalgia. It fuses reggae rhythms with R&B and Hip Hop accents that pull at the heartstrings with soulful, heartfelt lyrics.

As she fulfills her dream as a solo act; she has performed on numerous stages. This includes: The US Embassy’s (in Jamaica) Award Ceremony (October 2021), the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association’s (JaRIA) Reggae Wednesdays in celebration of Reggae Month (2021), the Prime Minister’s National Youth Awards for Excellence in Kingston (December 2020), the Uppsala Reggae Jam Festival in Germany & Sweden (Virtually in August 2020), the ‘Outside Europe Summer Tour’ (2022) at festivals such as Uppsala Festival in Sweden, Summerjam Festival in Germany and Reggae Geel Festival in Germany. She has also appeared on BBC 1xtra’s Big Yard session in Jamaica and so on.

Zhayna is a past student of the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts where she studied for a degree in Jazz and Popular Music. She is also a former member of the Performing Arts Group Ashe, where she was a lead vocalist and performer.