Skip to content

Meet Jheanelle Owens, A VERSIONS 2023 Alumni

“The VERSIONS community, from the Fellows to the mentors and the facilitators, is one of the strongest and most supportive communities I’ve been a part of.”

In this series, we’re highlighting our VERSIONS Alumni. You’ll learn about their transformative journeys with and through the VERSIONS Youth Fellowship.

Jheanelle

The Early Years

Meet Jheanelle, a versatile musician from Spanish Town, Jamaica, whose artistic journey intertwines the strings of a violin with the rhythms of pop and reggae. From her early days surrounded by the melodies of her father’s vinyl collection to her emergence as a versatile artist in Kingston, Jheanelle’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of music and the pursuit of social justice.

“Music has just always been a part of me that I absolutely love,” Jheanelle reminisces, reflecting on her earliest encounters with melody. Introduced to the violin at a young age, she embraced the instrument, guided by a passion that only grew stronger with practice.

While she began with classical music, she ventured into the realms of pop and reggae with time. As she grew, so did how she related to music and her instrument. Reggae not only called to her soul but presented opportunities to perform for her community.

But it wasn’t just her talent that kept her going—it was the stories she wove into her music. “I write about Black pride and the changes I want to see in the world,” she asserts, her lyrics echoing her inner call for social justice and historical reckoning. Jheanelle has always been intentional about infusing her music with messages calling for better.

The VERSIONS Youth Fellowship

As she settled into her musical talents, not only did opportunities to perform become abundant but so did opportunities to merge music and social change. When Jheanelle came across the VERSIONS, she was enticed by the merging of art, social change, and mental health advocacy.
“It was like the Fellowship was tailor-made for me,” she recalls. “I’d been working on making meaningful music, and suddenly, I had this chance to do it formally and with support.”

When she was admitted as one of the 27 Fellows, she couldn’t wait to start. “It felt like the start of something really big. Something bigger than me.”

Art and the Academia

The Fellowship was everything Jheanelle hoped it would be and more. It merged academia and artistry, enriching Jheanelle’s perspective on the world and her craft with workshops that delved into the history of music and the complexity of how colonial interests have shaped the world we live in.

Jheanelle was aware of the issues Jamaicans faced on a daily basis, but through the Fellowship, she learned more about the root causes. Reflecting on her prior knowledge and the education through the program, Jheanelle says, “Our problems in Jamaica are very colonial. So much history that goes untold because people are not informed about it in regular school settings. And so my passion is, and always has been to, to educate on that front.”

The prominent issues Jamaicans face are classism and neo-colonialism. Jheanelle explained how even though there are Black people in charge, they make economic choices that serve the external powers rather than the people who actually make Jamaica what it is.
“I want to inform people, expose the injustices happening, and show what we really deserve as a people.”

Leading is in Her Bones

Jheanelle has never been one to sit back and let things be. She has a track record of being active in her community and leading peers. Her most recent charge was taking the opportunity to co-design and teach a course at her university as a student. In this course, she and her student partner urged students to explore what it means to be revolutionary technologists.

Even with her experience, VERISONS has helped Jheanelle grow into an even more refined leader. For her social impact project, she started a library for the Jacques Garvey community centre in Kingston, Jamaica. She says she used to be self-sacrificial as a leader—giving up her time and energy without boundaries.

“Now, I’m better at establishing boundaries for myself and others. I know that to lead well, I need to be smart with my boundaries and take care of myself.”

A Shift in Perspective

As a prominent leader in her community, Jheanelle had already established beliefs about what could or could not effectively make change. VERSIONS has helped her evolve her perspective. “I used to think politics was the best way to establish change. VERSIONS helped me to understand that art is actually the best teacher and that it’s the most powerful thing that I can do.”

The Early Years

Meet Jheanelle, a versatile musician from Spanish Town, Jamaica, whose artistic journey intertwines the strings of a violin with the rhythms of pop and reggae. From her early days surrounded by the melodies of her father’s vinyl collection to her emergence as a versatile artist in Kingston, Jheanelle’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of music and the pursuit of social justice.

“Music has just always been a part of me that I absolutely love,” Jheanelle reminisces, reflecting on her earliest encounters with melody. Introduced to the violin at a young age, she embraced the instrument, guided by a passion that only grew stronger with practice.

While she began with classical music, she ventured into the realms of pop and reggae with time. As she grew, so did how she related to music and her instrument. Reggae not only called to her soul but presented opportunities to perform for her community.

But it wasn’t just her talent that kept her going—it was the stories she wove into her music. “I write about Black pride and the changes I want to see in the world,” she asserts, her lyrics echoing her inner call for social justice and historical reckoning. Jheanelle has always been intentional about infusing her music with messages calling for better.

The VERSIONS Youth Fellowship

As she settled into her musical talents, not only did opportunities to perform become abundant but so did opportunities to merge music and social change. When Jheanelle came across the VERSIONS, she was enticed by the merging of art, social change, and mental health advocacy.

“It was like the Fellowship was tailor-made for me,” she recalls. “I’d been working on making meaningful music, and suddenly, I had this chance to do it formally and with support.”

When she was admitted as one of the 27 Fellows, she couldn’t wait to start. “It felt like the start of something really big. Something bigger than me.”

Art and the Academia

The Fellowship was everything Jheanelle hoped it would be and more. It merged academia and artistry, enriching Jheanelle’s perspective on the world and her craft with workshops that delved into the history of music and the complexity of how colonial interests have shaped the world we live in.

Jheanelle was aware of the issues Jamaicans faced on a daily basis, but through the Fellowship, she learned more about the root causes. Reflecting on her prior knowledge and the education through the program, Jheanelle says, “Our problems in Jamaica are very colonial. So much history that goes untold because people are not informed about it in regular school settings. And so my passion is, and always has been to, to educate on that front.”

The prominent issues Jamaicans face are classism and neo-colonialism. Jheanelle explained how even though there are Black people in charge, they make economic choices that serve the external powers rather than the people who actually make Jamaica what it is.

“I want to inform people, expose the injustices happening, and show what we really deserve as a people.”

Leading is in Her Bones

Jheanelle has never been one to sit back and let things be. She has a track record of being active in her community and leading peers. Her most recent charge was taking the opportunity to co-design and teach a course at her university as a student. In this course, she and her student partner urged students to explore what it means to be revolutionary technologists.

Even with her experience, VERISONS has helped Jheanelle grow into an even more refined leader. For her social impact project, she started a library for the Jacques Garvey community centre in Kingston, Jamaica. She says she used to be self-sacrificial as a leader—giving up her time and energy without boundaries.

“Now, I’m better at establishing boundaries for myself and others. I know that to lead well, I need to be smart with my boundaries and take care of myself.”

A Shift in Perspective

As a prominent leader in her community, Jheanelle had already established beliefs about what could or could not effectively make change. VERSIONS has helped her evolve her perspective.

“I used to think politics was the best way to establish change. VERSIONS helped me to understand that art is actually the best teacher and that it’s the most powerful thing that I can do.” 

Sign up to our Newsletter

Back To Top