Sevana Explains ‘I Am A King’ Line In New Song

Jamaican singer/songwriter Sevana has clarified the usage of the line “I am a King” in her newly-released song Keep Going, explaining that the choice of the word “king” over “queen” was primarily driven by poetic license and its rhythmic suitability within the song’s context.

Additionally, the Mango artist says the phrase was not intended to convey a gender-specific message but rather to emphasize her position as the ultimate authority in her own life.

“King represents ultimate power, so I’m a woman but sometimes when you’re writing – and as I am a storyteller, you want to: one provoke a little bit, but then two: communicate that you’re trying to say what I’m trying to say in the song is that I am ultimate…,” she explained during an interview on The Bridge 99 FM this morning.

“So a queen has to answer to a king.  A king doesn’t have to answer to anybody.  And then also ‘king’ rhymes with ‘sing’ so it has nothing to do with gender in the sense of you see ‘I’m a man, I’m a woman’.   It’s about what kingship represents,” the Westmoreland native added.

In the first verse of the song, Sevana sings:

“Caan call me Miss Ting
From di day mi born, mi did interesting
Naw fi show off, fi show you nothing
God know mi special, mi naw fi listen
Know that I’m a king
In this wicked jungle and that’s why I sing
Blessed to be so gifted, so mi caan waste it”

She emphasized that the fifth line, “Know that I’m a king” in the track, which she describes as “one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written,” was crafted to seamlessly rhyme with the subsequent verse.

“If me say ‘I’m a king, in this wicked jungle and that’s why I sing’, you know obviously I’m not saying I’m a man.  Mi a seh and me a di ultimate power; naw answer to nobody,” she explained.

As the hosts praised her for her eloquence in clarifying the significance of the line and explaining that it ought not to be seen through a gender-specific lens, Sevana gave further insight into her artistic intent and creative process.

 “I don’t know it’s not difficult for me to write that,  It’s not difficult for me to feel and want to communicate but I think maybe it’s challenging for people to hear, which is not my problem… I kind of just created and then you respond to it however you want to, and if it’s something that – like it inspires you then great.  And if it’s something that makes you uncomfortable, then it it’s worth at least thinking about,” she said.

“I care about music and I care about the music I’m making and I care about the people who are supporting me.  It’s not ‘oh mi nuh business with oonu’.   It’s also like ‘I’m not going to hold back who I fully am and how I think, because I care about you’.   It’s a relationship between me and the people that support me where I should be allowed the fullness of being myself.  That’s kind of how I look at it,” she added.

On March 10, Sevana had also explained the creative process behind the song’s accompanying music video which was released two days earlier.

“We shot the visualizer for ‘Keep Going (Chosen)’ on a rooftop in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Kingston. We wanted to create something that repeats the feeling of being stranded and in distress while surrounded by so much activity. I’m wearing this dress to emphasize how ridiculous it looks to attempt to keep up appearances while you’re going through a difficult season,” she had noted on Instagram.

Sevana, who is booked for Reggae Sumfest in July, got her musical break in 2008 with the girl group SLR, which placed third place in the Digicel Rising Stars competition.

In 2014, she featured on the track Sudden Flight from Protoje’s Ancient Future album.   Among her most popular songs are Mango, Sometime Love, Nobody Man, and Haul and Pull on Protoje’s Rock & Groove riddim.

She also made her film debut in the Bob Marley: One Love biopic, where she portrayed I-Threes member Judy Mowatt.