Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Rakell (left) performing at 'Up on the Roof' in New Kingston. - Contributed photo

A South American temptress with a Caribbean vibe, Rakell Sa, aka Rakstar, is bringing a bit of Latin flavour to the dancehall.

Two years ago, at age 19, this Brazilian songstress moved to Jamaica to pursue a musical career. Coming from a musical family where her father plays the guitar, her mother plays the piano and her brother the drums, Rakell was destined for music. As a teenager she performed in Brazil with a band called the Temptations, until moving to Barcelona, Spain.

Drawn to reggae music, she moved to Jamaica to sing and discover dancehall. "I have always loved music. I never wanted to sing Brazilian music, which is samba, a soca type of music. Nor did I want to sing Latin music. I grew up with many different styles of music. Reggae is big in Brazil. I have loved Bob Marley, but I never heard about dancehall till I came here. The first single I heard was a song from Tami Chynn and I just felt in love with the music," she said.

Released first single

Describing her flavour as Latin dancehall, Rakell says she is far from the realms of reggaeton, which she admits to not even liking. She says: "I prefer dancehall with a little Latin flavour. Reggaeton is basically one type of beat and I'm beyond that."

Rakell recently released her first single, If You Ready, which is more dancehall than anything else. The song has got airplay on the radio waves locally, with the accompanying video being shown on local TV stations and MTV's Tempo. For the young singer, having her song out to the public and being recognised is what she considers her big break in the industry.

She is on the verge of releasing her second single, Sambahall, which she says definitely has a more Latin flavour. According to Rakell, the song can be heard on her Myspace page and so far, the reactions have been overwhelming. An admirer of Tami and Tessanne Chynn, Lady Saw, Bob Marley and Brazilian singer Ivete Sangalo, Rakell desires most to collaborate with Bounty Killer and Damian 'Junior Gong' Marley. She is soon to be working with famed local producer Don Corleone.

Rakell also explored modelling and acting while in Barcelona. However, singing is her first love. She also writes her own songs. So far, she has performed in Brazil and St. Lucia, at smaller shows around Kingston and is tentatively slated for both Reggae Sumfest and Reggae Sunsplash.

While she is away from her family, they are very supportive of her career, with her parents coming to Jamaica often to see their daughter perform.

Rakell attests that Jamaica is very similar to Brazil and, while she may not be from the region, she considers herself a Caribbean singer. "I consider myself Caribbean, but I'm not. My music is a mix of Latin influence from the Spanish Caribbean, with the energy associated with soca music and dancehall," she said.

Later this year she plans to release her debut album.

Rakell plans to tour the Caribbean and Brazil and soon the world, spreading her unique style of music to the globe.