January 23, 2024
“Jah Tiff” was born Tiffany Hunter, now Gelly, on May 28 in Kingston, Jamaica growing up in the Molynes Road and Red Hills Road areas. She attended Meadowbrook High School in Havendale before migrating to America in 2007 and currently based in Orlando, Florida.
Her influences growing up were Lady Saw, Shirley Caesar, Bob Marley, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer, but her greatest inspiration is Bob Marley. Always writing poems from a young age, Jah Tiff eventually transitioned to songwriting in adulthood. Not realizing that she could actually sing, it was a family friend named Shawn, who encouraged Tiff to sing the songs she wrote for his singers. Tiff enjoyed singing her own music so it became a hobby.
Tiff then had the opportunity to collaborate with international Reggae singer Turbulance on her track “It’s You”.
“He told me to take music more seriously. So, I started writing and releasing more songs,” Tiff explaining what drove her to become an artist.
Tiff first went into a recording studio on August 15, 2018 and her first official track was “Believe”, released on October 12, 2018. She has worked with producers such as Shawn Robinson, Vincent Hamilton and Lady Timry. Artists like Turbulance, Kiprich, Ghetto Flow, Meiks and McCoy have all collaborated with Tiff but she enjoyed working with both Turbulance and Kiprich the most. In the future, she’d love to work with Rytikal. Currently, Tiff is promoting her EP called “Great” which was released January 1st. New music from the Reggae artist is expected to be released between spring and summer 2024.
The message Tiff wants to share with her fans and other upcoming artists like herself through her music is peace, love, unity, uplifting humankind and spreading positive vibes. The feedback on her releases so far has been positive.
“My Reggae songs have gotten mainly positive feedback. Most love the words and vibes of the songs, but some have criticized the production. I only have one explicit Dancehall song called “Quint It”, where the recording and production of that song could have been better. The other Dancehall song, “Personal Stripper” with Kiprich, got mostly positive feedback.”
As an upcoming artist especially with no background or official experience in music, Tiff encounters obstacles constantly.
“I can’t say it has been easy but I have been blessed to be able to do combinations with popular artists and perform on various shows with prevalent entertainers,” she said optimistically.
Some of the most known stages Tiff has performed on were Jerk Fest, Caribbean Winter Fest, Rum & Reggae Fest and Reggae Sumfest, but has also done performances at a variety of smaller settings like bars and restaurants. She hasn’t been on any tours yet, though she’s hoping that will change soon.
Tiff isn’t signed to any labels yet nor does she have a manager or booking agent but she has a strong support system around her guiding her, including Do Di Rite Thing Entertainment, and enlisting the PR services of high school classmate, Lesley Hayles.
Stay up to date on Instagram and her website with all things Jah Tiff as she embarks on this journey in Reggae music.