Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

She is familiar with the recording booth and working a stage but Tanya Stephens has ventured into strange territory - acting.

Stephens plays a nurse in the long-standing local drama Royal Palm Estate. The new season will begin airing on CVM TV on February 22. However, Stephens will not appear until the third episode.

"I was invited and I felt honoured by the invitation. It is new for me and I found it pretty entertaining. The cast was very supportive. I got no prior training, I was just briefed on what was expected," Stephens told The Sunday Gleaner.

"I don't think I am the greatest actor in the world but it was fun. The cast and everybody I worked with have been very supportive."

In addition, she believes the show is of a high quality.

"It (the show) is not a bad look and it's a great production. I am very honoured to be working with Lennie Little-White (Royal Palm Estate director and producer)," said Stephens.

In the same manner that Stephens praised Little-White, he praised her.

"She is very easy to get along with. She is very low-key. No temper tantrums or anything like that. She learnt her lines better than some of the experienced people. She came through fine as the more and more she filmed, she got more enthused about it," he said.

Committed to music

Other persons who will make appearances in the 27th season are Dahlia Harris, Reneto Adams and singers Cezar and Peter Lloyd.

Although she is satisfied with her performance, Stephens said she did not have any prior interest in acting as she is committed to music. However, the Royal Palm Estate offer was not her first.

"I have been approached for a lot of acting roles (in independent productions) but it has to be something that I am comfortable doing. If it is not in keeping with the image that I have, I won't do it," Stephens said.

Still fully committed to her musical craft, Stephens will release another album, Infallible, in a few months.

Opened her first restaurant

Currently, Stephens has a song and video out that is doing well, titled Heart of Stone, a collaboration with Othniel 'Taddy P' Campbell.

In addition, the singjay recently opened her first restaurant, H2O, in the Coconut Grove Shopping Centre in Ocho Rios.