Jada Kingdom: “I Remember Being Broke In America, It’s Not Nice”

Jamaican Dancehall star Jada Kingdom has opened up about her transition to Atlanta two years ago, before recently settling in Maimi.

In August of this year, after signing to Republic Records, the Bull Bay native announced that she had purchased a home in Miami, and in October, Kingdom blessed the eyes of her fans with a tour of the new crib. But little did they know of her struggle behind the apparent success and her move to the United States.

In an interview with NME Magazine, the WiN singer said, “I’m just happy that I made it out of where I am from, it was a very dark space for me so, it was very depressing.”

“I went through a lot of traumatic phases in my life in Jamaica, but being [in Miami], under good care and good condition, it’s been amazing,” she told the Magazine, while promoting her new song and video Jungle.

“If I’d come here and didn’t have a plan, I would have been lost in the sauce, or back in Jamaica without any goals. Jamaica, as I said earlier, has its own jungle. [But] let’s not act like America is a bed of roses — it’s rough up here too. I remember being broke in America, it’s not nice.”

Kingdom also explained that before buying her crib in Miami, she was based in Atlanta for two years and that experience was “a huge culture shock” at first as she had to get used to not living near a beach.  However, according to Jada, the move has already made “a huge difference” to her life. “Coming to America, you have to have a plan — especially for a person like me and my career,” she said.

Expressing gratitude to boyfriend Verse Simmonds, Kingdom praised him for his undying support of her dreams and his execution in making them a reality.

With a long-term goal to give back to Jamaica, the Execution singer hopes to build hospitals and shelters for women.

But it has not been all smooth sailing for Kingdom.  The singer’s former management company, Pop Style Music, had filed a lawsuit against her in April in the Supreme Court of Jamaica. Pop Style accused Kingdom of spewing “libellous bile and defamatory untruths” against the company’s CEO in an Instagram Live video in March this year.

Now with major label backing, a new manager Marc Jordan, and management team Wide Eye Entertainment, Jada has since released Jungle which is dedicated to her childhood while also highlighting that there is a jungle everywhere that each individual has to face.

“There’s so much music in store that I don’t even want to start talking about it,” she hinted. “You’re gonna hear a lot of reggae stuff, more dancehall stuff, some jazzy stuff. We’re still trying to figure out what the next single is gonna be because we have so many [unreleased songs] and we’re trying to pick the right one.”

The singer, whose real name is Jada Ashanti Murphy, is best known for songs like WiN, Heavy!, Budum, Love Situations, Best You Ever Had, and Wull On.