Jaqee

Born in Kampala, the singer Jaqee grew up in rural Uganda before moving to Sweden in the early 1990s. Her 2005 debut album Blaqalixious mixed Soul and R&B. “That was my direct contact to the music that a rural community in the diaspora plays” she explains. Her 2007 follow-up Nouvelle d´amour had a more blues and rock influence. “Everything is possible as long as it is real. I never wonder about things like genre as long as the vibe fits,” says Jaqee, who later recorded a tribute to Billie Holiday, A Letter to Billie. Invited by the German producer Teka (from the Rootsdown label) to sing on a cumbia/reggae project, the duo ended up working together on her 2009 release Kokoo Girl (re-released as Land of the Free on Makasound in France), revisiting 70s style reggae and ska, via up-to-the-minute production techniques. “I grew up with African Gospel, in a sad and turbulent environment, so for me, this means I grasp and totally understand reggae and its never-ending struggle for the common man,” says the young singer, who also brings a bouncy energy and fun attitude to her sound, a quality she calls “kokoo”.