While currently a big star in the dancehall, Lady Saw started out from humble beginnings.

According to the deejay, she has been a fan of music for a very long time. She said: "I started out singing in church when I was around 13 in St Mary, then I started going out to all the sound systems and being around them. My father was a fisherman and he would go out at night to work, sometimes my mother would go with him and my sister would carry me out to the dancehall, that was when I was like 15."

Afterwards, the deejay started to make her trek back and forth from St Mary to Kingston, hanging around the sound systems and studios. While Saw started off doing 'clean songs' like Am I Losing You and doing covers of popular songs, it wasn't until she got raunchy that her career started to soar. She said: "My first big break was with Fin' A Good Man then I started having big hits in the dancehall like If Him Lef.Once I started going to the studios that was it, I'd ask to go in the booth and I'd start deejaying on whatever they gave me."

Soon the young Marion Hall transformed into the raunchy Lady Saw with her performances being banned in some parts of Jamaica, despite equally lewd male performances not suffering similar fate. According to Saw, however, the bans never worked out as too many fans called for her to perform despite outcry from members of society.

Lady Saw is the first female deejay to win a Grammy Award, earned for 'Best Performance by a Duo or Group' for her featured performance on No Doubt's single Underneath It All, and to be certified as a triple-platinum artiste, earned for the same song. Lady Saw also received a gold certification from the R.I.A.A. for Smile with Vitamin C. She is also the first woman to headline dancehall shows outside Jamaica.

- K.H

Ladies!

This is a one-in-a-million chance!

The deejay has worn the crown of the leading female dancehall artiste for a number of years. On Saturday, April 9, THE STAR will be honouring her at Club Impulse, 61 Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston (upstairs Burger King).

Before Saw gets up-and-close to you, her loyal fans, there will be performances from the princess of the dancehall, Spice, who will also be gracing the stage.

THE STAR kicked off the Tribute Series by giving accolades to Freddie McGregor last Saturday. Now, we switch gears from Freddie, a soulful singer, to Saw, an act that has matured and blossomed over the years. Known for a catalogue of hits, Lady Saw has been the role model of countless fans and female artistes.

With ladies free all night and Magnum bucket deals all night, it will be a night not to be missed!

Check out The STAR in the upcoming weeks to see details of her tribute performance. Admission for males is $300 and two copies of The STAR!