Biography
Jah9, a Jamaican singer and songwriter, fuses reggae, dub, dancehall, jazz, and R&B into a dense, earthy sonic palette edged with contemporary prophetic intensity reminiscent of Burning Spear or Mutabaruka, all while threading her work with mysticism and spiritual awareness. Issued in 2013, her debut album New Name established her presence, after which growing acclaim and a dedicated audience led to her VP label affiliation and the subsequent releases 9 in 2016 and Note to Self in 2020. Outside her recordings, Jah9 engages deeply in community activism, youth and arts advocacy, and yoga instruction.
Born Janine Cunningham in the western rural Jamaican town of Falmouth, she relocated to the city for college, where campus encounters with Rastafarians directed her toward dub, roots reggae, and artists such as dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson. Taking her childhood nickname Jah9, she became a fixture in Jamaica’s progressive poetry scene, and demo sessions with producer Sheldon Bernard introduced her to the legendary Beres Hammond. Through Hammond she joined Don Corleon Records in 2010, cutting the singles “Warning” and “Keep Holding On” with producer Donovan Bennett.
Her breakthrough arrived in 2013 when the track “Brothers” appeared on a shared single backed by Chronixx’s “Smile Jamaica,” after which her aptly titled debut album New Name surfaced on Rory “Stone Love” Gilligan’s Rorystonelove label. The compilation Singles followed a year later, and in 2016 she moved to the VP label with the single “Bloody City.”
Capturing the strength and symbolism of her namesake number, she released her sophomore album 9 on September 9 of that year, further developing her “jazz-on-dub” approach. A 2017 collaboration with U.K. producer Mad Professor reimagined the material through newly recorded dub-heavy versions under the title Mad Professor Meets Jah9 in the Midst of a Storm. Her next proper studio album, Note to Self in 2020, included guest spots from Chronixx, Tarrus Riley, and Pressure Busspipe.
~ David Jeffries
Born Janine Cunningham in the western rural Jamaican town of Falmouth, she relocated to the city for college, where campus encounters with Rastafarians directed her toward dub, roots reggae, and artists such as dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson. Taking her childhood nickname Jah9, she became a fixture in Jamaica’s progressive poetry scene, and demo sessions with producer Sheldon Bernard introduced her to the legendary Beres Hammond. Through Hammond she joined Don Corleon Records in 2010, cutting the singles “Warning” and “Keep Holding On” with producer Donovan Bennett.
Her breakthrough arrived in 2013 when the track “Brothers” appeared on a shared single backed by Chronixx’s “Smile Jamaica,” after which her aptly titled debut album New Name surfaced on Rory “Stone Love” Gilligan’s Rorystonelove label. The compilation Singles followed a year later, and in 2016 she moved to the VP label with the single “Bloody City.”
Capturing the strength and symbolism of her namesake number, she released her sophomore album 9 on September 9 of that year, further developing her “jazz-on-dub” approach. A 2017 collaboration with U.K. producer Mad Professor reimagined the material through newly recorded dub-heavy versions under the title Mad Professor Meets Jah9 in the Midst of a Storm. Her next proper studio album, Note to Self in 2020, included guest spots from Chronixx, Tarrus Riley, and Pressure Busspipe.
~ David Jeffries
Albums
The Open Heart Project
2026
Police in Helicopter
2021
Dreadlocks Dub (Remix)
2020
Note To Self
2020
Mad Professor Meets Jah9 In The Midst Of The Storm
2017
9
2016
Singles
