Jackie Jaxx speaks of systemic mistreatment of local artistes

Jul 17, 2025 News

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…says cultural events are orchestrated more for political gain

Kaieteur News – Guyanese musician Jackie “Jackie Jaxx” Hanover has broken her silence to speak out against what she describes as systemic mistreatment and neglect of local artists in her home country.

In a statement shared with Kaieteur News on Thursday, Hanover expressed deep frustration over the lack of government and institutional support for Guyanese musicians, calling her artistic journey a largely solo battle for recognition and fair treatment. “I usually stay away from politics, but today, I will break my silence to say this,” she said. Jaxx, a household name in Guyana’s music scene, said she has faced years of exploitation, disrespect, and disregard from industry stakeholders and political figures alike.

From as early as age 18, she recalled being taken advantage of by promoters, subjected to inappropriate behaviour, and denied proper compensation or protection. “From the moment I stepped on a stage, people tried to control me. I’ve been robbed by promoters, touched inappropriately, used, and disrespected – all without any protection,” she said.

Despite these hardships, Hanover continued to advocate for better pay and conditions for fellow artistes, but her efforts proved futile. “I saw a public figure recently say that Guyanese artistes need to raise their prices. I laughed. I was pushing for better pay for artistes a decade ago and all I got was pushback and low talk. One promoter asked me if I was Beyoncé. Another asked if I was from Hollywood just for asking to be paid while they used my name to sell tickets.”

Her 2016 hit song, “Guyana,” became a national favourite, played across all local media platforms. But Jaxx revealed that behind the success was a heart-breaking struggle. “Everyone refused to sponsor the production. The Minister of Culture at the time said no. GTT said they weren’t interested. I was homeless while producing it, and my own manager, a Guyanese, was plotting to trap me in a contract to exploit me,” Hanover recalled.

She eventually funded the song’s release with a loan from a friend. “It took everything I had to bring ‘Guyana’ to life. I could have shelved it due to the lack of support. But God said the country needed the song,” Hanover said. Even after the song’s success, she was forced to overwork herself just to earn a living, performing countless shows and being underpaid. “Because promoters insisted on limiting local artistes’ pay, I did what felt like a hundred shows to earn from that one song. I even blacked out once on stage in Puruni from overworking myself.”

Eventually, she stepped away from music, because of burnout and emotional exhaustion. “I was tired, depressed, and drained from fighting alone.”
Though she briefly returned in 2020 with a performance at the presidential inauguration, hoping the exposure would lead to better opportunities, she said nothing changed. “By then, Jackie Jaxx had become a household name. I assumed that being an established cultural asset would improve my situation, but it only got worse.”

Hanover criticised the politicization of the arts, alleging that many cultural events are orchestrated more for political gain than to support talent. “The standards I helped to build were being torn down by political agents in government positions who used the creative industry as a propaganda machine instead of funding and empowering our best talents. I watched artistes who helped shape Guyanese culture be cast aside in favour of more ‘compliant’ acts.”

Hanover recalled one particular incident that highlighted the disrespect she often faced. She said she was invited to perform at a major event with just two days’ notice. When she quoted her fee, she later heard organisers say, “Why the f**k are we paying her so much?” Despite the insult, she performed, and received the only standing ovation of the night. But because she didn’t attend a last-minute meeting the next morning, she was excluded from an international trip. “The pettiness was real,” she said.

In 2024, Hanover took her fight to court, filing a $1.6 million lawsuit in the U.S. District Court alongside Ivan D’Ivan Harry against One Communications for the unauthorised use of their songs ‘Guyana’ and ‘Oh Guyana.’ “, I was faced with the difficult task of defending my rights in a country where there aren’t even proper laws to protect me. I fought tooth and nail. And whatever I’d experienced before was nothing compared to what came next. Not only was I harassed non-stop online by the public, I was also economically targeted,” Hanover said in her statement.

Since then, work has been scarce. Hanover believes her blacklisting is a coordinated effort to undermine her career. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I still get requests to perform. But no one wants to pay. Suddenly they “can’t afford” the same price, which I charged ten years ago. What shocked me most were the companies that stopped working with me. I gave them some of my best creative ideas, but I was too naïve to realize how politically aligned most Guyanese businesses are,” she said.

She admitted to questioning her place in the country that shaped her. “These days, I take quiet walks in Guyana’s countryside and ask God why. Why wasn’t I born in a place where my gifts and good intentions would be celebrated? Guyana, my country, my home… has deeply traumatized me. I laugh about it now because I’ve put down my fighting stick. I didn’t stop dreaming, but my dreams are now for me. Not for a better Guyana,” Hanover shared.
In an invited comment to Kaieteur News, Jackie Jaxx urged other local artistes in Guyana to speak up about their experiences in the industry, calling for a collective effort to bring change to the country’s music culture. “I would like to hear other people’s experiences. I’ve been very vocal about how I feel and what’s going on, but it’s time for a bigger conversation outside from me being the one to publish my experiences,” she said.

Despite the many hardships she has faced throughout her music career in Guyana, Jackie Jaxx remains committed to her music and is determined to continue creating and promoting her music independently. “I’ve always been Jackie Jaxx. I’ve always shown up, blown up, and done new things. Now, I’m in a place where I can show up in a more sovereign way in my career. I may have been away for a while, but I still have so much more artistic work to share. I am absolutely not backing away from music, I will continue to do it independently,” she said.

She emphasised the importance of recognising and supporting independent creators, particularly those who don’t follow the traditional route. “I feel as if the independent movement isn’t getting the exact amount of attention and also exposure that they should get. These are the people who would’ve felt as if they can’t go the traditional route. The route the system has set out for us because they are so many borders of entry,” Hanover said.

She further added, “In Guyana’s culture, if you want to get things done beyond the limits of what others allow, you have to do it independently. I’ve always been self-funded.”

Hanover encourages the next generation to break barriers and demand more stating, “The young people in the creative art industry, they really need the attention for what they are doing in terms of creating innovations in response to a lot of the systems who have been in their ways before in Guyana, the system is not always set out to benefit us unless you are walking on traditional road and I don’t feel this is the time to be walking in the traditional road, we need new things.”

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• compensation, Jackie Jaxx, Local artists, Neglect, Promoters

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