Sevana’s ‘Jeans an Marina’ celebrates community and culture

A pair of jeans, a merino, a game of dominoes, and some music represent much more than a casual night out for Jamaican singer-songwriter Sevana.

They are symbols of community, resilience and the simple ways Jamaicans have traditionally found joy and comfort in each other and form the heart of her latest single, Jeans an Marina.

The song, which officially dropped on September 9, is about making the most of what you have. “You come together to sort of heal, to move forward to the next week,” Sevana said.

The idea is rooted in Sevana’s upbringing in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland. “It’s about community,” she explained, recalling growing up in the Segree Street area.

Sevana described her childhood as one of financial hardship, raised by her mother alone, but said those circumstances also taught her the importance of depending on the people around her. “I grew up very poor. It was my mother alone,” she shared.

Yet, even amid the challenges, there were moments that brought the community together. Every Friday, Sevana recalled, residents would set up speakers beneath a street light in a small square in the community. Games such as Ludo and dominoes would become part of the evening, while residents gathered to talk, listen to music, and simply spend time together. “It was a way of kind of celebrating the end of the week,” she said. “But also kind of sharing time together, because you need people around you.

“Especially going through difficult times,” she said, noting that while her upbringing was sometimes tough, she remains grateful for the experiences that helped shape the woman and artiste she has become. That childhood experience ultimately became the inspiration for Jeans an Marina.

The track was celebrated with a classic house-party-style gathering in Cherry Gardens last Friday, where friends, music industry players and supporters came together for an intimate evening of games, drinks, dancing and candid conversations.

That message of community has taken on even greater significance for her in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, which left communities across Jamaica grappling with widespread devastation. Sevana said the disaster reinforced for her just how important community remains, particularly during difficult periods.

She pointed to the response of ordinary Jamaicans and community organisers who mobilised to help those affected, often before larger institutional responses were fully underway. “We saw such an incredible display of it too,” she said, highlighting the way community members rallied around one another.

That Jamaican identity is something she deliberately carries into her music. From Mango to Nobody Man and now Jeans an Marina, Sevana has consistently drawn inspiration from Jamaican language, culture and everyday experiences.

When asked if this is intentional, she was very clear. “Absolutely,” she said. “Because I am Jamaican. I am nothing if not Jamaican.

“I love everything about Jamaica. I love being a Jamaican. I think the culture is really rich,” she said, stressing the importance of continuing to celebrate what makes the island unique.

“We don’t need to be like anybody else. And we have enough of what we need here amongst each other to build and rise together.”

She acknowledges that the Jamaican identity is also something that naturally travels with her, whether through her appearance, accent or the cultural references embedded in her music. “I mean, mi look like a Jamaican. Everyweh me guh go, they might ask weh me come from. And, you know, I think if they don’t even know where exactly, it’s usually guessed that it’s the Caribbean. Because there’s such a oneness with blackness, it’s something that you can’t really escape,” she said.

For Sevana, the goal is not to escape it, but to embrace it.

And that same philosophy extends to young creatives hoping to make their own mark in the music industry.

Her advice is simple: go for it, but do not try to navigate the journey alone.

“I would say go for it! But make sure you identify your people, though!” she urged.

“If it’s your brother, sister, cousin, whatever, if there’s a similar interest there, hold their hand, walk with them, because you’re going to need your people to prop you up in this life,” she said. “There’s no telling how far you’ll go once you have your people who you can trust, and they can trust you, around you.”

o’brian.wynter@gleanerjm.com