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<p>They say the journey of a thousand miles
begins with one step. But for Marie Sano, more popularly known as Bad Gyal
Marie, hers was the journey of more than 8,000 miles – from Tokyo, Japan, to
Kingston, Jamaica. </p>
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<p>Her ‘one step’ came in 2009 when she
decided to leave the place she had called home all her life to move to Jamaica,
a place she inexplicably felt drawn to, from the very first time she heard
dancehall music at a Japanese club.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://buzz-caribbean.com/app/uploads/2019/07/MarieShabba-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-929" /><figcaption>Bad Gyal Marie (left) says Likkle Shabba (right) taught her a lot about dancehall music. </figcaption></figure>
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<p>“Reggae music is big in Japan,” she said.
“I remember when I was a teenager I went to a club and the DJ played dancehall
music, and it changed my life. I just felt something. I cannot explain because
it was so strange. It was like my blood just started boiling.”</p>
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<p>Determined to pursue this new-found
passion, she threw herself into research about Jamaican music. She invested in
records and practised spinning them in clubs. But even then, she never intended
for it to become her full-time career. </p>
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<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p> “Reggae music is big in Japan.” </p></blockquote>
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<p>What she felt in that moment when she fell
in love with dancehall and reggae music, however, was perhaps the pull of the
universe, drawing her in the direction of exactly where she needed to be, as
since her move to Jamaica, Bad Gyal Marie has realised that being a selector is
in fact her calling. </p>
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<p>Operating as the lone female selector on the sound system, Notorious International, Bad Gyal Marie has made quite the name for herself, most recently copping first place in the keenly contested 2019 Boom All Star Sound Clash.</p>
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<p>Her journey to the Boom title took some
doing, however, as Bad Gyal Marie had to work hard to prove that she was more
than a spectacle – more than a little Japanese girl playing around with
Jamaican culture. And even before then, she had to convince her parents that
moving to Jamaica was a good idea.</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://buzz-caribbean.com/app/uploads/2019/07/MarieA.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-930" /><figcaption>Bad Gyal Marie moved to Jamaica from Japan in 2009. </figcaption></figure>
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<p>After graduating from college with a degree
in Cultural Studies, Marie decided to make the permanent move. By then, her
parents had been sufficiently convinced that this was her passion and she now
had their full support.</p>
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<p>She started her career as a selector in
Jamaica by working with a fellow Japanese national. Together, both women would
get a shot at the turntables at popular local street dances like Passa Passa. But
for Marie, it was not enough. </p>
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<blockquote class="wp-block-quote"><p> “I used to just go to the studio and talk to people daily. I always say every Jamaican is my teacher, in language and in music and so I just ketch the patois likkle by likkle,” </p></blockquote>
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<p>Determined to be taken more seriously and
realising that she wanted to play all night and not just for 15 minutes, Marie
met Likkle Shabba, a selector from Kingston 13 who took her under his wings,
training her and teaching her the ropes.</p>
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<p>“I used to just go to the studio and talk
to people daily. I always say every Jamaican is my teacher, in language and in
music and so I just ketch the patois likkle by likkle,” Marie said. </p>
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<p>Working with Likkle Shabba, Marie received
more exposure, playing in a weekly session they hosted together called Yard
Clothes Wednesdays in the Wellington Road area of Kingston 13. They would later
go on to create the sound system Notorious International, featuring the likes
of DJ Premiere, DJ Lucky, Oddie Frass, Superstar from Tokyo, and of course
Marie and Likkle Shabba.</p>
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<p>Now that she has earned the respect of many
in the dancehall space, Marie continues to make her mark across Jamaica. And along
with Notorious International, Marie has entered the Guinness Sounds of
Greatness before winning the Boom All-Star Clash in May 2019. </p>
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