BIOGRAPHY Birgit Pydde more popularly known as Roots Queen is a German based Reggae/Dancehall artist, song writer and producer. Her connection with the Reggae/Dancehall industry started in the late nineties when she began listening to music by Bob Marley, Gentleman and other roots and culture artists. Once she was able to interpret the lyrics and realized that the messages were positive and uplifting, she fell in love with the genre and began to listen more frequently. Birgit grew up as an only child to average middle class German parents. She lived what many would consider a normal life which meant getting an education and entering the work force immediately thereafter. She worked a regular 9 to 5 job for a while but eventually began to question the systematic routines in which she found herself. She felt that there had to be more to life than just working for someone and only making enough money to pay bills at the end of each month. Having always had a passion for music, she got an epiphany after attending the annual Summer- Jam Festival (held in Cologne, Germany) one year. It was there that she was able to see live performances by several Jamaican artists and witnessing their command of the stage and their audiences made her realize that this is what she wanted to do with her life. In 2004, Birgit made her first trip to the island of Jamaica. Upon arrival she immediately acquainted herself with the people and the culture and was exposed to the underground

Reggae/Dancehall scene which was hidden from her while in Germany. The people she interacted with felt her positive energy and began calling her Roots Queen, a name she whole heartedly embraced and adopted. After her visit in 2004, Roots Queen returned to Germany armed with a better understanding of the Jamaican music industry and began making plans to become a part of it. She composed her own beats as she was not comfortable recording on other producer’s projects, as well, she wanted the independence and creative control that comes with being a producer. Another challenge she tackled once she returned home was her vocal delivery. Roots Queen contracted and worked with some of the best vocal coaches in Germany, namely, Miriam Sabba, Christiane Endmann, Anno Lauten, Renate Otta and Patrick Surth. Once she felt she was ready musically, Roots Queen gave up everything she had in Germany (a comfortable two bedroom house, a brand new high end vehicle and several other luxurious items) and relocated to Jamaica. She settled in a cottage located in the residential district of Ocho Rios, St. Ann and made friends quickly. She recounts that she learnt everything from cooking to speaking (English and Patois) from her Jamaican friends and the experiences shared with them inspired a slew of lyrics and beats. A major point in her career came when a friend of hers, Tamba, who is a known dancer and MC offered her the opportunity to perform at a huge stage show. Roots Queen’s performance amazed the crowd (who seemed to be blown away by seeing a white woman perform reggae and dancehall so well) so much so that they insisted on an encore. Another MC that was present at the show invited Roots Queen to other events where she also did great and was well received. Once she realized that she was accepted by the Jamaican masses, she turned her attention to producing and promoting her own projects. Alas, she quickly found out that a great deal of money was required to cover things such as studio time, musicians, transportation etc. Determined to succeed, Roots Queen began looking for work in Jamaica but eventually had to return to Germany where she was certain to generate the kind of money needed to finance her career. She lived in Jamaica from 2007 to 2010. After returning to, and spending two years in Germany, writing lyrics, composing beats and acquiring funds, Roots Queen went back to Jamaica to work on her first official studio album entitled “Powerful Energy”, while simultaneously promoting the lead single, “Feeling Free (Landlord)”. POWERFUL ENERGY clearly defines the inner person that is Roots Queen. The album is a collection of songs that captures specific moments of her life and her thought process. Though the planning for this project was done in Germany, the actual production was done in Jamaica at some of the best music facilities on the island. Production, mixing and mastering of

POWERFULENERGY was done at Tuff Gong, Gibby’s Front-room, Dehva’s House, Steven Stanley, Frenz For Real and Rohan Dwyer Recording Studios. Indeed this album

features some of Jamaica’s most talented and professional musicians, such as Denver Smith, Niki Burt and Dale Haslam. Engineers that assisted with the project in various ways are Muzeeko, D-Lowe, Ricardo “Red Boom” Reid, Chadwyck “Dehva” Gillings and others. POWERFULENERGY has been available since September 24th and is

on all major online music retail stores. Physical Copies with full in-sleeves (lyrics) are available from Amazon. “Feeling Free,” the first single from the album has stormed the Reggae world with airplay on over 60 stations in the U.S, Canada, Central and South America, Jamaica and the islands, Europe, including many stations in the U.K and Africa and the second single “Fly With Me,” looks like being an even bigger success with widespread airplay across the world. “Feeling Free has been a record 9 weeks at #1 on Galaxy Gold Radio in the U.K. It has been #1 for 7 weeks on Rich Davis “Sounds of the Caribbean Music Real Chart Countdown in South Florida U.S.A, and reached #4 on the prestigious Clinton Lindsay, New York Foundation Network Radio Top 30 chart. The new single “Fly With Me,” from the album released September 24th has hit the #1 spot in the U.K and holds #1 for the sixth week running (November 17th).

MUSIC “Powerful Energy” Track Listing 1. Intro 2. Calalloo 3. Feeling free (click on image below to watch the official video for this track) 4. Protect dis Nation 5. Mother Earth 6. Ina di Night 7. Yes to Life 8. Pretty & Beautiful 9. Nature call 10. Lost without Jah 11. Fly with me 12. You can get it yes CLICK ON IMAGE TO HEAR THE COMMERCIAL FOR “POWERFUL ENERGY” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdHNgZubKt8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdHNgZubKt8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdHNgZubKt8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdHNgZubKt8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdHNgZubKt8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdHNgZubKt8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdHNgZubKt8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdHNgZubKt8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdHNgZubKt8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdHNgZubKt8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdHNgZubKt8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdHNgZubKt8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdHNgZubKt8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdHNgZubKt8

Musicians that contributed to the album are: Cettle Drums (Binghidrums played by Sydney Watson “Billy” Guitar: Christoph Priebe (Only Intro) Background Vocals: Miriam Sabba Keyboard: Birgit Pydde (Roots Queen) Lead Vocals: Birgit Pydde (Roots Queen Trumpet: Vivian Scott “Scotty” Trombone: Romeo Gray Background Vocals: Nicole Burt (Niki) Drum: Christopher Tyrell “Cabba” Bass: Dale Haslam Guitar: Garth Forester Keyboard: Conroy D. Walker Percussion: Denver Smith

GALLERY

VIDEOS Click on TV screen to watch Roots Queen’s official music video for “feeling free”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDdJgyAvQ1g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDdJgyAvQ1g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDdJgyAvQ1g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDdJgyAvQ1g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDdJgyAvQ1g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDdJgyAvQ1g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDdJgyAvQ1g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDdJgyAvQ1g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDdJgyAvQ1g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDdJgyAvQ1g

FOR ADDITIONAL MUSIC VIDEOS, INTERVIEWS AND AUDIO RELEASES, SIGN UP TO ROOTS QUEEN’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL BY CLICKING THE

SCREEN BELOW. http://www.youtube.com/user/ROOTSQUEENMUSIC http://www.youtube.com/user/ROOTSQUEENMUSIC http://www.youtube.com/user/ROOTSQUEENMUSIC http://www.youtube.com/user/ROOTSQUEENMUSIC http://www.youtube.com/user/ROOTSQUEENMUSIC http://www.youtube.com/user/ROOTSQUEENMUSIC http://www.youtube.com/user/ROOTSQUEENMUSIC http://www.youtube.com/user/ROOTSQUEENMUSIC http://www.youtube.com/user/ROOTSQUEENMUSIC http://www.youtube.com/user/ROOTSQUEENMUSIC http://www.youtube.com/user/ROOTSQUEENMUSIC http://www.youtube.com/user/ROOTSQUEENMUSIC http://www.youtube.com/user/ROOTSQUEENMUSIC

PRESS REVIEW POWERFUL ENERGY Album review by Gerry McMahon for Reggaeville.com

Roots Queen (aka Birgit Pydde) has dropped some solid and sensible sounds in her inaugural Powerful Energy album. The German native who used to be based in Jamaica – where the album was produced - has compiled a crucial cut with the assistance of several of the island’s top musicians and technical production/engineering experts. These span Tuff Gong and Gibby’s to vocalists Denver Smith and Nikki Burt, with

engineers such as Muzeeko and D-Lowe ensuring that the Roots Queen’s talents are expertly showcased. Steven Stanley was in charge of the mixing of most of the tracks. Opening the album with an appropriate ‘blessed love’ tribute to Jah in a Nyahbinghi stylee, one might assume that they are listening to a Jamaican native. The album’s pace picks up thereafter, confirming the artist’s ability to crossover from roots to dancehall settings. Callaloo reveals this Queen’s fluent mode of vocal delivery, before the album's first single Feeling Free tells about the singer's preference for Jamaica over her German home, despite all of the island's adversities. The Protect Dis Nation track then presents some neat vocal harmonies - with the Queen in charge - before Mother Earth’s brass fuelled preservation theme righteously prevails. The pacey Ina di Night track follows and will certainly put ‘ants in the pants’ of all those in the dance, before the singer rightly exhorts all to say Yes To Life on the follow-up cut. Given the Roots Queen’s mode and method of delivery, the massive will have no option but to say ‘Yes’ to this track’s uplifting message! ‘Pretty and Beautiful’ feat. Ras Pyton follows, with the song’s title and message appropriately assuring us all of our self-worth. Nature Call and Lost without Jah then kick in, reminding us that Roots Queen is well embedded amongst the Rasta ideology and bredren. The Queen’s upcoming single release - Fly With Me- then successfully slows the pace to reveal her wide variety of vocal span, as the horns embellish a seductive invitation to ‘come with me, spend your life with me’. Closing the 12 track compilation, Roots Queen confidently persists in her uplifting themes with a throw back to Jimmy Cliff’s 1970 ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want It’, as she exhorts listeners to believe You Can Get It Yet, whatever you may want. In an era of ‘doom and gloom’, with worldwide warfare and economic recession, it’s a fitting way to close the compilation, reaffirming this artist’s positive and uplifting exhortations, delivered in an engaging musical manner, with lots of ‘Righteous Energy’! Whilst reggae from non-Jamaican artists has had some success over time there remains a shortage of female ‘international’ protagonists. Roots Queen's Powerful Energy has the potential to put a dent in the deficit, drawing attention to this large, yet underrated part of the industry. May the seed grow.

ADDITIONAL PRESS COVERAGE

Germany Newspaper www1.wi-paper.de/book/read/id/00011E43D8045382

Press Release Album Review by MJE www.mariajacksonent.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/roots-queen-upcoming-album-getting.html

Press Release L3 Magazine www.prlog.org/12148905-l3-magazine-june-issue-ft-leftside-dr-evil-chedda-askelle-tanya-carter.html

Article in the Voice (U.K) www.voice-online.co.uk/article/discovering-her-reggae-roots

Article in the Jamaica Observer www.jamaicaobserver.com/Entertainment/German-queen-finds-her-roots_13184987

Roots Queen Interview by Pop Vulture Magazine www.popvltr.com/2013/10/roots-queen.html

Article on Reggae Movement http://www.reggaemovement.com/Artists/Roots-Queen

RADIO & TV INTERVIEWS DONE BY ROOTS QUEEN RADIO TELEVISION Rich Davis: Sounds Of The Caribbean RE-TV JAMAICA Musical Genius :OneHarmonyRadio London Clinton Lindsay:: Foundation Radio Network Sir Rockwell : Rock Da Box Aubrey Padmore: Carib Radio GigiCapone: Rhythm 1059FM Dudley Thompson Roots FM Junior Smith: Reggae In The Fields CKCUFM Donny Walker: Global Linkz Radio.com Sir Daddy: Reggae4Us.com

CONTACT INFO

karmamedia9@gmail.com +44 759 0616 454 rootsqueenmusic@gmail.com

@Rootsqueenmusic www.facebook.com/roots.queen.3