Sounds & Pressure: Reggae in a Foreign Land with Nana McLean
Join Canada’s Queen of Reggae, Nana McLean, alongside an exclusive sneak-peek episode of Sounds & Pressure: Reggae in a Foreign Land, a new National Film Board of Canada anthology series launching later this summer. Featuring McLean—and legends from Johnny Osbourne to Leroy Sibbles—Sounds & Pressure uncovers the musical journeys of five Jamaican greats who brought the irresistible rhythms and unifying power of reggae to Toronto.
About the Episode
Against the changing face of Toronto’s Little Jamaica, where she ran some of the city’s landmark reggae record stores, singer and entrepreneur Nana McLean challenges outdated stereotypes and establishes her role as reggae royalty.
About Nana McLean
Born in Linstead Market in Jamaica, Nana discovered her talent early, winning local singing contests and joining the Soul Defenders’ band. At only 15, she recorded her first single on the fabled Studio One label and would travel to the Kingston studio in secret to follow her passion. Coming to Canada in the mid-1970s, Nana worked with fellow ex-pat King Jammy and then with A&M records on her Dream of Life album.
She quickly became a fixture in Toronto’s Little Jamaica/Eglinton West neighbourhood, founding the record stores Top Ranking and Treasure Isle, which became hubs for the Caribbean community. While opportunities for reggae artists were limited in Canada, Nana kept her finger on the pulse, recording hits with King Jammy back in Jamaica and Donovan Germain on his iconic Penthouse label, for which she received a JUNO Award
