Bar-Bee bounces back

Statuesque singer Bar-Bee is back on the Jamaican musical scene with a new outlook on life and her career.

THE STAR sat down with an obviously more mature singer yesterday to speak with her about the accident that changed her life and her new musical ventures.

Having been in New York and other locations outside of Jamaica since March this year, the singer recently returned to the island to continue pursuing her career.

Bar-Bee’s advent on the Jamaican music scene was surrounded by much controversy. She was frequently seen around town in the company of Beenie Man and was heavily touted as one of the reasons for the break-up of his marriage with D’Angel. Bar-Bee has, however, denied her involvement in the break-up.

Now, the starlet has kept her profile on the low. According to Bar-Bee, she and Beenie are still good friends, noting that he has been supportive of her career.

“I’ve been in the studio, sitting down and trying to figure out which direction I want to take my music, I want to focus on the musical side of things. I’ve tried to keep out of the mix-up and negativity that have surrounded my name. I want to be viewed as an artiste and not someone that is surrounded by gossip,” Bar-Bee said.

Reassessed life goals

It was after a car crash in June this year when the singer was admitted to the intensive care unit at a New York hospital, that Bar-Bee reassessed her goals and life plan.

She admitted, “The accident made me realise, who’s gonna be there for you? When the situation happened, my parents and my family were by my side. It made me realise a lot of different things in life – family and friends are really important. Hype isn’t everything. Music is not a beauty pageant or a fashion show and it should be fun … I feel like I’m 10 years older in one year. When I came into the business, I was really naive. I felt people were gonna be nice to me and that everything was really pretty,” she said.

Time spent evaluating her life seems to have done the singer a world of good. A trimmer Bar-Bee has been globetrotting, performing at different events and doing charity work.

Since being in Jamaica, she has visited numerous schools including Charlemont High and St Mary Technical, to perform and motivate the students. According to Bar-Bee, the experience has been a fulfilling one and has shown her the importance of being a role model.

As for her music, the singer has recently completed her music video for her bittersweet reggae love song I Love You Anyway. The video was shot in Brooklyn and in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and is directed by Jamaican Tarik Zawdie.

Bar-Bee is experimenting, mixing her different musical tastes with a little reggae, R&B and her African influences. She is currently working on completing her debut solo album on which she is working with persons such as Dean Fraser.

For the future, however, the singer hopes that persons will recognise her solo work rather than her collaborative efforts.

Source: JamaicaStar