Sister Nancy Initially Thought Invitation To Join Burberry’s Summer 2024 Campaign Was “Spam”

Dancehall veteran Sister Nancy says the first time British luxury fashion brand Burberry reached out to her to participate in their Summer 2024 collection, she chased them away, thinking it was a hoax.

Burberry had to “track Nancy down,” but “the first few times Burberry reached out to her, she deleted the brand’s emails” and said: “Who the hell is this?” according to British Vogue.

“I wasn’t payin’ no notice, because I thought it was a spam. I say, ‘What do these people want from me? Delete them.’ The third time [they emailed], I send them to [her US booking agent] DJ Gravy, and Gravy say, ‘Nancy, it’s real,’” the deejay is quoted as saying.

According to the publication, with Gravy’s assistance, contact was made with the Bam Bam singer, and the luxury fashion company’s spring/summer 2024 campaign, which Nancy describes as “wonderful” was completed.

Sister Nancy, who is the younger sister of veteran deejay Brigadier Jerry, holds the distinction of being Dancehall’s first female deejay. She was also the first female deejay to perform at Reggae Sunsplash and the first to tour internationally, a feat she continues to this day. Her most famous song, Bam Bam, is a remake of Toots and the Maytals’ winning Festival song and stands as the most sampled Jamaican song of all time, with over 140 samples across various genres.

In January 2022, Bam Bam was certified silver in the UK and shortly afterward it topped the iTunes and Amazon Reggae song charts after being featured in an episode of Netflix’s popular crime drama, Ozark.

In her mid-teens, Sister Nancy occasionally performed on the Jahlove Music sound system and spent three years working with General Echo on the Stereophonic sound system. Born Ophlin Russell, she recorded her first single, Papa Dean, for the late producer Winston Riley on his Techniques label in 1980. Among her other singles are One Two, Money Can’t Buy Me Love, and Transport Connection.

Sister Nancy released her debut album, One Two, in 1982. She later collaborated with the late producer Henry “Junjo” Lawes, recording tracks such as A No Any Man Can Test Sister Nancy and Bang Belly. She also teamed up with King Yellowman for the song Jah Mek Us Fe A Purpose.

In the 1980s, Sister Nancy was a key member of Junjo Lawes’ Volcano Records camp, alongside Purpleman and Yellowman. In 1982, the trio released an album titled The Yellow, The Purple & The Nancy, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in January 2022.

Released by the Greensleeves label, the album featured 10 tracks, including Feeling Irie, Get Ready, Out of Hand, and Westmoreland Skank by Purpleman; A No Any Man Can Test Sister Nancy, Dance Pon The Corner, and Bang Belly by Sister Nancy; and Mr Wong, Baby Father, and Mash It Up Now by Yellowman and Fathead.

In the meantime, Sister Nancy recently released her newest single titled Rub a dub Story, her first in several years. The song chronicles her journey in Dancehall music from 1976, and pays homage to those who helped her along the wa , among them, her brother Brigadier Jerry.

Sister Nancy also told the publication that she has a busy musical itinerary over the next several months, and is being booked for far more shows than when she was a youngster.

“I have so many shows coming up, I have to refuse some of them… A lot of these DJs who were there in my time, I don’t hear about them any more, none at all. So I have to be grateful… I’m working more now than when I was 20 years old,” she told British Vogue.