Singer, songwriter and actress, Cherine Anderson.

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

It is very rare in an artiste's career to be summed up by a single song. But for songstress Cherine Anderson, Kingston State of Mind eclipses her life experiences and the experiences of countless other young Jamaicans.

According to Cherine, she is one of the lone females in the arena of singers such as Burning Spear and Bob Marley who have given a message to the world. Kingston State of Mind, on Sly and Robbie's 'Darker Shade of Black' Riddim, is about the senseless killing in communities due to politics, drugs and more, that is hurting the nation's children. "Coming from the ghetto, I grew up in Rockfort; this song is my interpretation of what's going on; what has not changed from when I was growing up," Cherine stated.

Various love songs

A lapse from the love songs that most may be familiar with such as the hit Coming over Tonight, done with Chuck Fenda, Kingston State of Mind is not the first conscious song done by the artiste. When Cherine was involved with the movie One Love co-starring Ky-Mani Marley, she had written songs for the soundtrack, including One by One, a song calling out for change in society. There is also How Many More.

While other artistes have sung about their experiences in the ghetto, Cherine claims that her perspective is just a bit different. "There are many artistes coming from the ghetto who have sung about poverty, violence and guns while it happens. As a woman I was saying something else - as an aunt, a mother, a sister - what men cannot speak about. Jamaican people have embraced me regardless of being from the ghetto, so I want to give this issue force," she says.

Producer Sly Dunbar was also proud of the song and its material. "The song is an awakening to people about di killing in Jamaica and even the rest of the world. It addresses the struggles of single mothers, women, children, people, and how di politician dem need to achieve power at any cost.

"The whole objective is to bring attention to the senseless killings in not just Jamaica, Haiti and across di Caribbean but di world ... showing how war and power struggle affect people, and we musicians as people who grow up in di ghetto, the people looking to us to do something," Dunbar said.

Cherine wants to use her status as a celebrity to make a difference, to take up a campaign. The video for the song was shot two weeks ago and was directed by Cherine herself who has a degree in film. According to the singer, the focus in the video is the children. So far she has done a New York, Miami, L.A, Trinidad, and Haiti version of Kingston State of Mind. International star Wyclef Jean also heard the song and liked it. There will soon be a remix with him on it.

For Cherine, her music is the source of a higher cause, to raise awareness to the world. She says, "if I can bring a light to something, I would have achieved everything I ever hoped for."