Aisha

Born Pamela Ross on 27 October 1962 in Wolverhampton, England, Aisha took a name denoting ‘life’ and has at times been called Sister Aisha. She started singing at the age of eight and steadily cultivated a loyal audience across the Midlands through her stage work. Rejecting the usual path taken by most reggae vocalists, she deliberately pursued roots material instead of soul-infused covers of R&B hits. In the late 1980s she began working with Mad Professor, resulting in the release of ‘Prophecy’ on his Ariwa Sounds label. That success opened further sessions with other women singers focused on conscious material and produced the Roots Daughters series, which placed Aisha alongside the revitalized Fabian, Kofi and Sandra Cross. The 1996 album ‘Hail H.I.M.’ earned her a slot at that year’s Essential Music Festival. Follow-up singles ‘Don’t Tell Me No Lies’ and ‘Raise Your Voice’ secured solid chart positions even while ragga tracks dominated reggae listings. Her association with Norman Grant of the Twinkle Brothers led to her appearance on the Twinkle Showcase alongside Princess Sharifa, Kid Livi and Steve Santana. Widely praised for her commanding performances, she continues to captivate audiences and maintains a career grounded in her conviction that ‘music comes from the root of love’.