Alanna Stuart formerly known as the songbird of Bonjay presents her debut solo single as PYNE exploring femmehall, a more feminine approach to dancehall production and performance, uniquely flipping Radiohead’s “Karma Police”.

The multidimensional music artist and producer based in Toronto, Canada and Kingston, Jamaica shares her first of a new wave of self-produced femmehall work. PYNE explores dancehall’s sonic aggression (think Steely & Clevie/Lady Saw) and indie’s emotional vulnerability (think Feist/Wildbirds & Peacedrums), building her own new world of sound to reflect a diasporic present – layered, complex, and raw.

PYNE’s version of the British band’s cult classic is inspired by the bouncy, janky pop of Carly Simon’s ‘Why’ and Grace Jones’ ‘Feel Up’ yet injects a fresh bubbling energy combining signature reggae motifs with broken keys, an optimistic drum rhythm in tension with a deep jagged bassline, contrasted with a tender but strong vocal performance all whilst retaining the sinister and brooding energy of the original.

On this project Stuart takes the production lead into her own hands after years of studying the intricacies of sonics with legends of Jamaican sound system music such as Sly & Robbie, Beenie Man’s engineer Hugh “Nose” Lynch and sound system engineer Tony Myers, experiencing a certain kind of freedom for the first time.  

A featured collaborator of kindred forward-thinkers such as Equiknoxx, U.S. Girls, Junior Boys, Shanique Marie, Act! and Jeremy Dutcher it’s now time for Stuart to independently establish herself as a fierce, visionary producer and artist in her own right. PYNE dually honours Jamaican techniques and attitudes to creative expression as well as being a homage to the underground indie and bass scenes of Canada. “Karma Police” is a hint of a wider project to come and we cannot wait!