Jamaica’s bad gyal Ce’Cile showing no sign of slowing down
By Suelika N. Creque
Editor-SKNVibes.com
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Jamaican ‘badgyal’ Ce’Cile
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KINGSTON, Jamaica – CE’CILE has been in the game for a very long time and with her string of ‘bad gyal’, thought-provoking and provocative tunes, she is certainly showing no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
Ce’Cile has cleverly crafted her career into what she wants it to be by pacing herself within the industry. In an exclusive interview, she told SKNVibes that one of her secrets to her longevity is by not releasing too many songs at one time, which she believes could be detrimental especially for a female artiste.
“Being on every single rhythm out there can be detrimental. I would rather have quality than quantity,” she said. “It’s about pacing yourself. So I may have two songs that may be favourites all year long, than say five songs that die out in two months time or die when the next rhythm hits.”
“It’s also about hitting on topics that people can really relate to,” she added.
Ce’Cile, whose surname is Charlton, was named after her grandfather Cecil by her mother and she hails from Manchester, Jamaica.
Her ‘Ce’Cile’s N American Debut’ on the Danger Zone/SoBe Record label was released during August of this year, which includes ‘So Fly’ featuring Beenie Man.
She is known as dancehall’s ‘Bad gyal’, which she describes as her alter-ego that came from the type of songs she sings. The name also stuck with Ce’Cile following her ‘Bad gyal Badman’ tune with Elephant Man and people started referring to her as ‘bad gyal’, which she says is a paradox of who she truly is.
Her smash hit, ‘Changez’, made her the household name she is today as the song was designed as a marketing ploy by poking fun at her male counterparts, light-heartedly lampooning the music’s biggest male names with unflattering speculation on their bedroom performance.
She is described as one with many talents, not only with a ‘singjay’ style but can actually sing and has a beautiful voice as well as produces and writes.
She is known to write lyrics that other females shy away from, probably for fear of being shunned in Jamaica’s male dominated music scene.
But being the most outspoken, especially on issues concerning women, Ce’Cile has never felt trapped from expressing her stance as being bold, calculating and brutally honest in her lyrics and subject matter. Her hit song ‘Give It To Me’, requesting reciprocal oral treatment (taboo in Jamaica) was demanding and in your face.
‘Can You Do Di Wuk’, a duet with Sean Paul featured on his Grammy winning multi-platinum selling album ‘Dutty Rock’, was testament to her ‘badgyal’ demeanour, and the track became a natural pick for DJs worldwide and made it possible for her to join Paul in Europe, which is her favorite place to perform, during his Dutty Rock tour for several shows including the Europe MTV Awards pre-party and Wembly Stadium in the UK.
She has even delved into other topics such as Faking, disclosing the fact that many women have to resort to that level in order to pacify their partner’s inadequate performance.
With aims of taking her career to international worldwide success, Ce’Cile has always looked up to the likes of Shaggy and Sean Paul who have successfully crossed over into the international market.
When asked about her views on critics bashing dancehall as negative, she simply said everyone was entitled to their own opinion.
“But I do find that what is normally in the forefront of dancehall is not necessarily the best of dancehall or the most positive, but positive tunes does exists within it,” she added.
She is also actively involved in poetry writing and is presently working on a book, performing various charity works and producing, and has interest in pursuing Spanish and French languages.
“I've been writing poetry before I started singing. In fact, some of my poems have become songs.”
Last year she performed in Nevis during the island’s Culturama celebrations and said that the vibe was good.
“It is always great when you have a receptive crowd even when it’s raining hard, as it was then,” she said. She does not know where she will be in the next 10 years, but definitely wants to still be in the game.
“God, I don’t know…10 years ago I used to say married with kids and blah. It hasn’t happened so I have no idea, but I know I wanna still be around…that’s for sure,” she said.
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