Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Sisters Nyanda (left) and Nailah Thourborne of Brick and Lace. - Contributed

If you haven’t heard of Brick and Lace, chances are you haven’t been watching MTV, BET and local music stations and seen the sister duo of Nailah and Nyanda Thourborne plastered across your television set.

The first act to be signed to superstar Akon’s record label, Kon Live, and Geffen Records, Brick and Lace are bringing dancehall wickedly with an R&B flair in their debut album Love is Wicked. The album is to be released at the end of summer, while the first song and video Never Never have been well received Internationally.

Brick and Lace are no strangers to the music industry, as for years they were buzzing around the periphery – until recently.

Previously a trio with sister Tasha in the mix, the group has experienced an evolution. Tasha left the group to focus on marriage and raising her two children. Nailah, 24, says “It has been scary and at first it was like we couldn’t move on. When she left the tour with Marcia Griffiths presented itself. Me and Nyanda, we never performed as a duo before, but at the point we were it was a great opportunity.”

New dynamic

Nyanda, 27, says that it took real strength on their part to continue the group as Tasha desired, creating a new dynamic for the sisters. Nyanda says, “The new dynamic, we really embrace it. It has become more Brick and Lace – the personalities kinda evolve that way. I’m more the edgy, I’m dancehall-inclined, my accent is very strong in my music. Nailah is more the lacer one, very R&B-driven.”

While Tasha is one of the faces of Brick and Lace she contributed her writing and harmonising skills on their debut album. It is a debut album that has the likes of Akon, will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, Ron Fair, Lenky and Tony Kelly producing. Nyanda described it as a unique mix of dancehall with R&B, which she terms ‘sexy roots’. “It’s a sense of us as girls and our journey. It’s a solid album we’re excited about; the fans won’t be disappointed,” she said.

Hetting love from fans

The next release from the album is the title track Love Is Wicked and the girls testify they have been getting love from the fans. Nailah said, “Our first manager told us it takes a lifetime to make a first album. There are some songs that definitely mean a lot, that people can relate to. I think it’s a true reflection and representation from us, ’cause we did the main writing.”

Writing is a major part of what makes Brick and Lace. Before signing as artistes the girls were signed as songwriters by record executive Dallas Austin. As writers the girls have written for Lauryn Hill, Janet Jackson, Paris Hilton and The Pussy Cat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger. Nyanda told The Sunday Gleaner that “Writing with artistes is definitely important to us. We feel like Neyo, in that writing is very important as well as being an artiste. We’re writers first; we’d like to work with some local artistes while we’re here.” Nailah described their writing ability as a blessing.

Another blessing in their lives is Akon, who has played the role of mentor, friend and producer to the girls. According to Nyanda, Akon was only slated to produce two tracks for the group but ended up on the Brick and Lace movement. Akon included the girls on the Gwen Stefani tour ‘Sweet Escape’, which they just finished. The girls describe Akon as talented, fun and energetic. From him they have learnt the importance of hard work and keeping yourself away from the hype.

Keeping identify

It is a hype that for many Caribbean artistes involves the struggle of descending into ‘popdom’ and losing your Caribbean identity. Nyanda affirms “You definitely do have to fight to keep your Jamaican identity, but sometimes you have to compromise as well. After all, these people do know what there are doing. You can’t always see things from your little world. We have been able to keep our identity.” Nailah affirms that the label tries its best to not compromise the duo.

For a female group keeping your head above water ina world of female definitions is not always easy. Nailah said, “Being taken seriously is difficult. The industry is male-dominated; there are a lot of groupies out there. It’s like guys don’t expect women to make it in the streets. You have to prove yourself even more.”

Brick and Lace have proven that they’re not glamour girls but are armed and ready to take it to the limit for Jamaican music. As Nailah says, “We do music for the love of it. We’re doing what we love to do. It’s not about the glamour and hype. We have a passion for music and just what we do.”