ZJ SPARKS - Emerging Female Powerhouse

ZJ Sparks has been blazing quite a trail of success ever since her entrance on the Entertainment scene as a production assistant at KLAS 89 Fm. Known not only for her musical dexterity and addictive mixes on the turntables, ZJ Sparks embodies the adage, “variety is the spice of life” and is a lot more than meets the eye and pique the ears.

Last year, the “Kush Morning Riddim,” a co-production between her record label, Twelve 9 Records and Dynasty Records took the world by storm - literally!

The single, “I Feel So Good,” sung by Collie Buddz was featured on an episode of the American Television series, “Basketball Wives”, Capleton’s “Fire, Fire” became an anthem in Zimbabwe while Ikaya’s “Brand New”, I Octane's "Run Mi Out" and Jah Vinci's "Real Woman" are still hot in the streets.  

Desirous of highlighting the female powerhouse, Sparks had refused to release the riddim without having Ikaya on it. The riddim also afforded her an opportunity to work with Peetah Morgan from Morgan Heritage who collaborated with Jah Sun (originally from Texas) on “Heart like a Lion” for which, an official video has been made. 

This year, Twelve 9 Records teamed up with Zionnoiz Freeze Records to create the R&B influenced Reggae riddim titled, “Sparkling Riddim”. The riddim has been receiving rave reviews from as far as Australia, South Africa, Hawaii and France, particularly Laza Morgan’s track “Give You the World,” and TOK’s “Missing You”. 

The riddim also highlights an up and coming artiste who goes by the name of Leonardo with his single, “A Cheater’s Regret”. Presently, Sparks is working on some singles and riddims. However, these productions won’t be coming out in rapid succession as she prefers to pace her releases. Fans will just have to wait and see what this magical deejay has up her sleeves. 

Known as the Soca Queen of Jamaica, she was invited to Trinidad Carnival 2013 to Deejay at Mania (a wild party in Trinidad) and to play on The Fantasy Truck, where she worked alongside Patrice Roberts (Lead Female Vocalist in Machel Montano's HD Band),  Titan VCD (Patrice Roberts' Official Dj), Gardiner VCD, Barrie Hype and Ryan Sayeed. When asked about the receptiveness of the Trinidadians, she had this to say. “It was quite an experience.  Trinis go all day.”

Here in Jamaica, she recently played at Portland J’ouvert and is booked for Linstead and St Ann Carnivals among other events.

She recently put out her Soca Mix Tape called POSSESSED which she says is a 'concentrated whining session.  When asked about what fans can expect on her Soca Mix tape, she said that “all the hits are on it. It's a concentrated whining session. There are only two 2012 songs on it. The other songs were all released this year and the album is over one hour long.”

Despite having just touchdown in Jamaica, Sparks won’t be lingering for long, come Saturday, March 9 she will be in Guyana along with DJ Barrie Hype playing at the Short Shorts vs. Mini Skirts party to be held at the Pegasus Hotel.

On the flip side, she writes for L3 Magazine and has been doing so for a year now. The Toronto based magazine features information on Entertainment, Music and Culture and is Caribbean-Urban focused,  as it targets the who’s who in the Caribbean. Fans desirous of reading her articles may visit her website, sparkiebaby.com, click on the link and view them there.

She is also a co-host of the contemporary talk show, JN Vibe, which airs on Mondays at 9:30 pm with a repeat on Wednesdays at 6:30 pm on Television Jamaica (TVJ) which allows her the opportunity to show her fans another side of her.

Needless to say, with so much to do and so many promising trajectories, Sparks won’t be slowing down anytime soon. 

You can Listen Zj Sparks live on Zip 103 Fm, Mondays 6:00 am - Midday, Tuesdays 10:00 am - 2:00 pm and Saturdays 6:00 am - 10:00 am.

Homeboyz Radio 103.5 Fm (Kenya) Thursdays 5:00 am - 6:00 pm

RTC 107 Fm (Turks and Caicos Islands) Fridays 10:00 pm - Midnight.