A believer in divine intervention, Empress Akua reckons her third visit to Jamaica was ordained. The American singer, who is from Los Angeles, is currently in reggae land performing on shows aimed at building her stocks there.

Empress Akua put in solid performances at two popular Kingston events — Rub ‘A’ Dub Tuesday’z at Dub Wise Club and Reggae Pon Top at Pon Restaurant, which is owned by producer Richard Bell of Star Trail Records.

She got a lot of love from audiences at both venues, which usually attracts a strong roots-reggae crowd.

“It’s very important to come to the heart of reggae to come and get the feel. Jamaica is the heart, it’s the root. I was fortunate over the course of my life, spent around Rasta, it was mystical the way it happened too, it was all different to me,” Empress Akua explained.

Spending time with Rasta elders like Ras Michael influenced her to launch a recording career. With Los Angeles-based Jamaican producer Lloyd Shaw as her guide, Empress Akua recorded the hard-hitting ‘It’s Cold Out There’ and ‘Gwaan (Dutty Babylon)’ in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

On her maiden trip to Jamaica in 2019, she recorded several songs including ‘Stranger’ with Sangie Davis, the prolific songwriter and Twelve Tribes Of Israel stalwart, known for his work with Bob Marley (‘Wake Up And Live’), Sophia George (‘Girlie Girlie’) and Nadine Sutherland (‘A Young One Like Me’).

While Empress Akua plans to release an EP this year, none of its songs were recorded in Jamaica.

“I’m gonna make it a surprise, I won’t give any details about it but I can tell you it’s reggae. For the rest of 2025, I’ll just do whatever comes up because it’s all in divine order,” she said.

Born Sheila Washington, Empress Akua’s roots are in Watts, an African-American community in Los Angeles that was the scene of a fiery riot in 1965. She grew up listening to blues, soul and Rhythm And Blues, before discovering reggae in her teens.

Empress Akua has done her share of road work. She has opened shows for a diverse list of artistes including Ky-Mani Marley, Steel Pulse, The Black Eyed Peas and Ben Harper.