"I never really left," singer-songwriter Jana Bent says when questioned about her perceived absence from the local music scene.
Having first come to wide attention in 1999, with her album, Chase The Sun, she had gathered momentum on following up with a second album Shadow Girl, and two combo singles, My Man Dat alongside Belinda and the bigger hit, No Regrets, with Bounty Killer (remember that Singer ad campaign?).
The latter track made it onto two international compilations, placing her alongside US chart favourites Christina Aguilera, boy group B2K (now defunct), and Angie Martinez.
But Bent would embark on a new phase of her career - and ultimately her personal life, when she moved to Los Angeles a few years ago. She had inked a publisihing administration deal with New York-based The Royalty Network and began placing more emphasis on getting her material placed with international artistes.
The move also brought new personal ties - a new man and subsequently a new daughter Selah, now two years old. But there were challenges and trials. Firstly, Selah arrived nine weeks early, a situation that clearly resulted in complications for both mother and child.
"We were each in intensive care after the birth," Bent recounts.
Then, while on the road to recovery, she suffered a greater blow: Khalid, her life partner died.
Although she is, by no means over the loss, Bent, back home with family for the past year, has begun to refocus her efforts on her musical goals.
She credits the presence of her family with not only helping her to physically recover from the post-natal medical issues, but also in coping with her bereavement.
"It's so much better to be amongst family where I have the support I need, especially as a new mother, than to be in LA, where your closest friend or family member was miles across town or even further."
Bolstered by this and by her daughter's continung progress, Bent is writing and preparing demo material to be submitted to producers.
Her previous placements include a single on the album of Bad Boy Records ingenue, Jordan McCoy, an accomplishment which, she says has brought her to the attention of high profile producers.
She's also making some steps toward local visibility as a performer, with a couple of shows over the next few weeks, one organised by Ian Gibson, and the other at the Village Cafe. A single, Too Bad, is presently being circulated, both among the media and among sound system selectors.
But Bent, who's also toured with Shaggy (during his Boombastic heyday) as well as with Damion 'Jr Gong' Marley, says she's mindful not to follow the hype.
"My main focus right now is my daughter, and really putting out good songs, but not necessarily as a performing or recording artiste. That takes a different kind of energy than what I have right now.
Its not something that I believe I'm missing out on in terms of the hype and the way the business runs, especially here," she says.
Still, she's prepared to go forward, mindful of the past and its present pains, but remaining true to herself, growing into her role as mother and renewing her commitment to her artistic development.
"Everyone has their challenges.
I've learned and I'm still learning, and I just keep doing what I know to do and hoping for the best.
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