LADY SHELLY

Lady Shelly, the self-acclaimed queen of reggae dancehall was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. She migrated to Montreal, Quebec at age sixteen and was signing her first recording contract by age seventeen. Her first, second and third recording contracts were with house/dance record labels. Eager to get through the door, she paid no attention to the genre just the music.

By the mid nineties, Lady Shelly was dominating airwaves and charts with hit singles like, "get it on", "sweet party" and "Macarena, that's me". In 1995 and 1996 respectively, she was invited to Dominica Republic and awarded the artist of the year.

At the end of the nineteenth century the label she was signed to, Premiere Music was undergoing some changes and this meant that all projects had to be put on hold. During that time, Lady Shelly had made several trips back to Jamaica and was considering returning home permanently.

By mid 2000 however, Gino Olivieri, a friend and the president of Premiere Music had negotiated a new recording contract with ISBA records. The new deal meant that Lady Shelly had to return to Canada and the studio immediately. In early 2001 the first single from the album, "endurance" was released. The single entitled "you know (left in the middle)" gave Lady Shelly a certified gold plaque for sales in Canada. After working with ISBA for a little over a year, Lady Shelly wanted out of the contract. A few months later her wish was granted and she became a free agent, which was not in a rush to resign with anyone.

After leaving ISBA, Lady Shelly decided to shift gears. She wanted to understand more about the business side of the industry so she landed a job as an A and R for a reggae record label in Mississauga, Ontario. Within a matter of months she was promoted to sales and marketing coordinator, which meant that she was constantly dealing with other music industry executives. Working at a reggae label brought her back to her roots and she developed a desire to go back into the studio, this time to record reggae/dancehall.

After little over a year, Lady Shelly resigned and went on a long break. She retired to Miami Florida where she spent time with her dad and other family members.

At the beginning of 2006 she emerged back on to the music scene. This time around Lady Shelly was more focused and determined. Armed with an amazing writing ability, complete knowledge of the business and desperation for respect from peers in the industry she went to work.

She connected with long time friend Newton Walker and recorded, “Welcome to Canada”. The single became an independent hit on college radio and underground circuits. In the song she detailed the way Jamaicans were being mistreated and stereotyped in Canada. The hit soon captured the attention of major record producer Dean Fraser, who invited Lady Shelly to return to Jamaica permanently to work on her career.

In early 2007 she returned home to Kingston, Jamaica and has since joined forces with some heavy weights in the business. She has recorded for producers such as Dean Fraser, JJ Wizzle and many others.

Known for addressing controversial issues, the Karamanti did not disappoint when she recorded “kum out”. The track addresses domestic abuse in its’ purest form and is rapidly becoming the anthem for inner city women. Just recently it was added to the verdict program on Jamaica’s Roots FM where it received several votes primarily from women. With a certified dancehall hit under her belt, Lady Shelly announced recently that she will definitely be releasing an album in 2008.

Lady Shelly writes all her own material and plays a huge role in the overall production of every record she is on. In most cases she writes the synopsis for her videos and is in 100% control of her business. Lady Shelly can be visited on the worldwide web at www.ladyshelly.com