Sherieta

Known as Sherieta, Jamaican soul and reggae artist Sherieta Lewis spent over a decade paying her dues and evolving her craft as a touring backup singer, session musician, and songwriter for artists like Damian Marley, Tarrus Riley, Gentleman, and Diana King. Her rich, smooth voice and stylistic blend of soul, jazz, reggae, and classic R&B finally came to the fore when she released her debut EP, Conversations in Key, in 2019. The daughter of a pastor, Lewis grew up singing in church and while attending college during the late 2000s, the Kingston native landed her first gig as a back-up singer, touring the world with Tarrus Riley. Over the coming years this led to similar work with Marcia Griffiths, Diana King, and Duane Stephenson. Although a solo career was one of her aspirations, Lewis' years honing her craft behind the scenes helped her build a significant resume, singing on a wide variety of albums and singles and co-writing songs for Riley, Stephenson, Jah Cure, Luciano, and Etana, among others. While maintaining this aspect of her career, she experimented with a handful of her own singles in the early 2010s, releasing songs on labels like Island Star and Penthouse Records and appearing on various reggae compilations. In 2015, while touring and recording as a member of Damian Marley's band, she began to develop a series of songs that blended elements of smooth soul and R&B with reggae and jazz. With the help of her bandmate, keyboardist Sean Diedrick, she honed her various recordings into a strong seven-song collection that showcased a sound she referred to as "exotique soul." Billing herself simply as Sherieta, she released her debut EP, Conversations in Key, on the Marley Family's Ghetto Youths International label in 2019. ~ Timothy Monger