Being born into a legacy can be tough, but for Shacia Päyne—aka Shacia Marley—there’s been no fear.
Being born into a legacy can be tough, but for Shacia Päyne—aka Shacia Marley—there’s been no fear. “It was more like motivational,” she says of coming from reggae royalty that includes having Bob and Rita Marley for grandparents, Stephen Marley for a dad, and an extended group of respected artists around her growing up. “The only scary thing for me is I’m not a singer, so I always asked where can I fit into the music part of this?”
Cueing off her father’s production work she decided to pursue DJing, and at 22 she’s already becoming a force. In terms of influence, “I’m strictly all about ’90s dancehall,” she says. “Frisco Kid, Bounty, Lady Saw… Yeah, I really felt like I was born for that time. But I am evolving in music. When I was younger I listened to reggae like Barrington Levy and I was like, ‘Eh.’ But now I’m listening to it again and smoking my cannabis and it’s really connected. Dennis Brown—man, honestly, I would never listen to dub, and now I’m all about dub in the mornings. I really grew into it.”
As for cannabis, “It helps me get to my higher self, totally, helps me create and see a bigger vision,” she says. “My sister and I, when we’re both puffin’ and passin’, we’re on the same level, the same mindset, and so it does bring people together, opens everyone up to a different way of looking at life, and within music, yeah. I respect the shit out of cannabis. Try it and you’ll see—visit that self of yours.”
As a VIP sponsor at KayaFest 2018, M3 Lie would like to thank - Stephen Marley, who's inspiration for KayaFest brings the Marley family together to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Bob Marley's famous KAYA album.
One Love.
Shacia Päyne was interviewed by Reade Tilley for M3 Life.