Minister Marion Hall

Marion ‘Lady Saw’ Hall is celebrating 25 years in the business and appropriately has been anointed by the Reggae community as, “The Queen of the Dancehall". She is the first female deejay to win a Grammy Award and to be certified a triple-platinum artist. She was also the first woman to headline dancehall shows outside her native Jamaica. Marion was born in Galina, parish of Saint Mary. As a child she was a tomboy who sold fruits, and raced wooden karts. At the age of 15, she took the name Lady Saw after the famous Jamaican Deejay Tenor Saw; whose style she is said to emulate. Similar to other Jamaican artists, Lady Saw started her career on local sound systems. As a female artist in a male-dominated world of Jamaican dancehall reggae, Saw’s performances brought her to the attention of record producers like Olive Shaw who produced "Love Me or Lef Me", which received significant airplay and not to mention her first hit single "If Him Lef". She went on to top the Jamaican charts with "Find a Good Man". Saw gave great inspiration and empowerment to female artists in the reggae scene and beyond. Without a doubt, she is and has been for the last 25 years the number one female dancehall star with countless hits and duets with several other major stars, including Beenie Man, Luciano, Dennis Brown, Bounty Killer and Beres Hammond just to name a few. Even with strong competition from younger talents like Cecile, Tanya Stephens, and Spice on the Reggae Music scene she still reigns as the Queen. Saw is a consistent hit with the general population. In the mid-1990s she had moved towards "conscious" lyrics. In 1999 she had a major hit in the United States with "Smile", recorded with Vitamin C, which peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, also a major hit in New Zealand and Canada. The single made certified gold with over 500,000 sales. In 2002, her collaboration with No Doubt, "Underneath It All", which reached number three in the US sold more than three million copies, reaching triple platinum certification. The track won a Grammy Award for 'Best Performance by a Duo or Group'. Even though Saw tried to tame her lyrics, her audiences expect and demand her raunchy and sassy style. Her stage persona as Lady Saw is a distinct contrast to her true self ‘Marion Hall’. When she was younger, Saw sang in her church choir so it wasn’t far fetch when in November 2012 she announced that she was turning her back on dancehall and would be concentrating on Gospel music in future; a far cry from the sexually explicit lyrics and stage antics she is known and has been criticized for. Saw is now a mother to three adopted children, two sons and one daughter and her favorite activities include cooking, gardening, and taking care of her children. Once Marion fulfilled her 6 album commitment to VP Records, she formed her own independent label called, Divas Records. In 2010 she released her 1st independent album entitled “My Way” which was later followed up by the hot single “Heels On” that reached #1 on all Caribbean charts globally. In 2014, Lady Saw reunited with VP Records sub-label and distribution arm VPAL Music to help distribute her new studio album “Alter Ego,” which is set to drop November 18, 2014 and features collaborations with Beres Hammond, Estelle, Ali Campbell of UB40, and Flo-Rida. “Alter Ego” puts her creativity on full display and showcases both the “Lady Saw” and more subdued, ‘Marion Hall’ sides. Additionally, on the humanitarian side, Marion has recently created the Lady Saw Foundation and part proceeds from the sales of, “Alter Ego” will go to helping those in need. Judging by her latest singles, “Hoping” and “Me & Mi X”, Lady Saw is adding some extra sizzle to the holiday season and posed to ignite the charts. The Queen is back and she means business! Minister Hall formerly known as "Lady Saw"