*In an exclusive interview with dancehall queen Spice, we delve into her new album “Mirror 25,” and the transformative journey that led to its creation.
During our candid conversation, Spice opens up about her latest single, “2085 Tea,” a raw and vulnerable track where she confronts personal and professional challenges. We also explore her groundbreaking collaboration on “Round Round” with Busta Rhymes, which blends Dancehall with country influences. Reflecting on her 25 years in the industry, the GRAMMY-nominated singer shares insights into her evolution as an artist, her near-death experience, and the importance of owning her vision.
“Spice has collectively streamed over 433 million times on YouTube and over 65 million times on Spotify, making her one of the most streamed female artists in her genre,” per her bio. “She’s collaborated with musical acts such as Missy Elliot, Nicki Minaj, Vybez Kartel, Kid Ink, Jeremiah, Busta Rhymes, I-Octane, Lady Leeshur, Sean Kingston, A$AP Ferg, Mya, Charly Blacks, Neyo, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Stylo G, and more. She’s appeared on Good Morning America, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Tamron Hall Show and Good Morning Britain showcasing her talents and classics throughout a 25 year span.”
Spice, the Founder and CEO of Spice Official Entertainment, released her third studio album, “Mirror 25,” on August 9.”
Watch the video for the lead single “2085 Tea” below.
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“2085 TEA” is described as your most vulnerable track yet. Can you share the inspiration behind the title and what it signifies for you?
Spice: The song signifies self-healing. It signifies me being vulnerable and open with my fans. It signifies me reminding my fans that I’m human and that I go through similar things to them. It also signifies overcoming… when I came up with the idea for my album, which is the mirror, the idea came from me being in an era where I am doing a lot of self-reflection. So when I look at myself in the mirror, I think I’ve managed to overcome so many things. 25 years is a long time. I’ve jumped the hurdles. I’ve managed to do so much, but then I also think of myself in the future. Like, where do I go from here? I’ve done so much.
When I think of myself in the future, it’s part of the idea that a couple of years from now, I’m going to be an older person. So I started to sing like an older person. That’s where I came up with the idea of doing a song as an older person, talking back to my younger self, just kind of reflecting on all the things that I’ve been through, the hurt, the pain, the betrayal, and that’s what left me to be so vulnerable.
In “2085 TEA,” I’m spilling the tea on myself. How my friends slept with my man when I was in a relationship, how people have betrayed me, how in the music industry, they tried to hold back my career, all the things that have happened to me, I’m just being very open in this song, and that’s what “2085 TEA” is. It’s me spilling the tea on myself of all the things that I’ve been through.
What has the fan reaction been like to the track and music video?
The fans have dubbed me as the most creative artist to ever come out of Jamaica. They love the concept. It’s different. It’s unique. They love the idea of the song, and the sound of the song. Cause I’m also singing like an old lady. Spice is talking like an older person singing back to our younger self about all the things we’ve been through. The reaction has been mind-blowing because it’s also very controversial. I wasn’t sure about the song, but I can tell you this song is one of the fastest-paced songs I’ve released in the past two years. When I look at the streaming numbers and TikTok, over 2000 people uploaded videos in two days. It’s mind-blowing. The YouTube comments… it’s just been an outpouring of love talking about my creativity and talking about how the song is very massive right now in the dancehall space.
How do you hope fans will connect with “2085 Tea” on both a personal and artistic level?
It’s one of the biggest things on TikTok right now, where everyone is sharing experiences, how they too have been through the betrayal with friends. People who think I’m talking about them in the song have come out to voice their side of the story. It’s been a lot of controversy, but outside of the controversy, just the chorus alone in “2085 Tea,” where people can say ‘I’m just minding my business. I don’t care about nobody business. I’m just doing me.’ That’s a trend on TikTok right now. People are in that era of ‘I don’t care about what nobody got going on. I just care about my business.’ It’s also very funny. It’s comical. People are having fun with the sound and that’s really what I love and all I care about.
Do you hope this track sets a precedent for artists to share their truth?
I hope this song will set a precedent for other artists out there to be truthful, to be open, to be vulnerable. Oftentimes on social media, you will see artists acting like their life is perfect, living a flashy life, showing all the money, all the jewelry, and all the assets and everything. But you will never see them very open and remind these people that we are human first. I hope it will also showcase to them that we can do relatable songs, that talk about our real-life experiences so people can be reminded that we too go through similar things.
Can you share how your collaboration with Busta Rhymes on the track “Round Round” came together?
I’ve been friends with Busta Rhymes for 10 years. He also remixed Some Me Like It, which is one of my biggest solo songs. At the time when he remixed that song, I didn’t have the knowledge that I have now on how to release a song which is why I’m so excited that he gave me another song because I’m now so knowledgeable in the music business and the music space to be putting out this song on my own, with the composer Karen Young, who is a super talented producer from Jamaica.
When he did the beat, it was infused with sounding like dancehall, like a country theme. It has so many mixed melodies in the track. We were like, okay, is it dancehall? Is it country? Is it hip-hop? We were so taken aback by what he came up with. I was telling him this rhythm is amazing. It makes me want to dance. It gives me a vibe of hip-hop, dancehall, country.
I recorded my dancehall authentic self on it. I was like, who would be that one person that would blow this out of the water that has that same energy, the authentic dancehall background can bring hip-hop, can bring country. Busta Rhymes was the only person that came to my mind. Thank God we were friends. I gave him a call. I sent him the song and I was like, take a listen to this and tell me what you think. The moment he listened to it, it was like, boss lady, this is a big song, I love it, this is amazing. I’m going to put my part on it and send it. I was just jumping and skipping all over the place. I have an electrifying collaboration with a legend, an icon.
I’m so humbled and so grateful, so gleeful for him for taking the time to collab with me so that we can come together and push both of our cultures out there to the world. In the song, Busta gives some of his Jamaican dialect because, you know, he has that Jamaican background. It was so exciting to see him come together and help push the culture in such a magical way.
How do you maintain your connection with your dancehall roots while appealing to a broader, diverse audience?
I’m always staying true to myself, my authentic self that comes first. So with this track, it was me going as the queen of dancehall to represent who I am, not trying to be someone else. That’s what I did with this song. I went in as the queen of dancehall. I stayed authentic to myself. However, when it came to the chorus, what I noticed being over here in America and being on Love & Hip Hop, when I talk to people here, I have to use standard English so that they can understand because they don’t naturally understand my Jamaican deeply rooted dialect. I gave my authentic dialect in the verse but in the chorus, I said the words a little clearer in English, which is round, round, go round and round. I want you to make your body go round and round. I think they will understand that I need them to shake that ass and spin round and round. I was very meticulous in making sure they at least understood what I was saying in the chorus.
What impact do you hope this collaboration with Busta Rhymes will have on the various genres you mentioned?
I’m hoping that this collaboration will open up multiple doors. I remember when I did my performance with Busta Rhymes at the BET Awards, while we were performing, a lot of people still didn’t understand culturally how I dance as a dancehall artist. I remember when I went on BET, when I was performing with Busta Rhymes and I stood and I put one of my feet up in the air and I was dancing, a lot of people was like, ‘Oh my God, we’ve never seen this on TV or we’ve never seen this on BET or why would she do that?’ There were so many mixed reviews, mixed reactions. I realized that there is still room for growth in my culture, where people should understand how we showcase our dancing in Jamaica. I’m hoping that this will open a lot more doors so people can get more familiar with Jamaican culture.
Congratulations on your album, “Mirror 25,” which marks your 25 years in the industry, how would you say your journey as an artist has evolved from your humble beginnings to now celebrating over two decades in the business?
I feel like my journey has evolved and now I am more knowledgeable on the business side of music. I remember in the past, I did not know certain things when it comes to music, when it comes to publishing; when it comes to getting my songs out there, and when it comes to so many different aspects of the music business itself. I was in a record deal with VP Records, which is my past label, and I was stuck in that contract for 10 years of my 25 years. I feel like they weren’t doing enough for me, so it led me to study the music business, which now I’m more grateful and I understand why because I have so much knowledge on the business right now. I feel like I have evolved by the knowledge that I have.
I’ve grown more spiritually, more mentally, I’m more prepared for certain challenges because I’ve managed to overcome so many things. So when the challenges come up, I’m like, ‘Oh, this is just like that past experience.’ I’m more experienced as an artist and my talent has grown so much because I know so much now, even when I did this “2085 Tea” song, people said (I’m) the most creative artist from Jamaica, whether male or female, because the things that I do and the way how I showcase my music, people don’t do that. People don’t go as hard as I do coming from Jamaica, when it comes to music videos, stage performances, and the things that I put into the music. I feel like I’ve evolved more as an artist. I am more knowledgeable about the business of music.
What can fans anticipate from this album in terms of new sounds, and any other collaborations?
I feel like they can just expect a lot of new sounds, and a lot of new topics because I’m giving them different genres, and playing around with sounds. We’re just having fun. I feel like my fan base has grown tremendously after 25 years. I have fans that are in Africa. I have fans in India. I have fans all over. I’m giving them something for the Afro market. I want to give back to my Christian fans too. I have older women who come up to me and say, ‘Oh my God, I love you so much. You inspire me. You’ve been through so much and you’re still here.’ I’m giving everyone something on this album that they can relate to.
I’m coming from a European tour where I performed in Paris and Amsterdam and I was in Malta, it was my first time going to Malta. When I was there performing, when I was in Paris, the show was so sold out that the line was just wrapping around the building. I was taken aback and I was like, wow, this is an evolution. Because I remember when I first time came to Paris, I was bringing CDs in a suitcase to promote my music over there. Now I’m one of the biggest dancehall artists in Paris. Compared to where I’ve started, so many different races and people are excited to come and dance with me on stage, and that just fills my heart. It’s definitely an evolution for real.
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Reflecting on your near-death experience and the healing journey that followed, how did that experience influence the creation of your new album?
My near-death experience also is the reason I came up with the name because again, I’ve been doing like a lot of self-reflection, just thinking about my near-death experience and how I almost lost my life. I look in the mirror and I see so many things flash before me. This album is my best yet because it’s so relatable.
What are some of your goals and aspirations for the next phase of your career? What’s on Spice’s bucket list?
On my bucket list, I want to do a documentary on my 25 years. I want to do a movie. I want to continue putting out music. My biggest bucket list is the fact that when you say reggae music, you think of Bob Marley. I want when people say dancehall, people think of Spice. I feel like the journey is just beginning for me.
Lastly, you returned for another season of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta, which recently debuted.
For my story this year on Love & Hip Hop, it’s going to be me showcasing my 25 years, me sharing my producing skills with the cast as well. I’m so excited for my journey celebrating 25 years.
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