Well, once again I find myself writing about music. Not strange, given we just had what is dubbed our major cultural show piece, which fell to lower standards this year, but we not going there. I like that we crowned a new calypso king this year. Allow me to offer my public congratulations to my friend and brother, Ti Carro. May you reign in style and dignity!
Just allow me to pose a question here: Does any of our calypsos this year and in more recent years have international appeal? Are they supposed to? I ask those questions given all the effort that the calypsonians put out. Much money is put on to produce the product we see and hear buat is our local market able to consume enough to allow a return on investments? Maybe we can ask Export Saint Lucia, whether any of this year’s calypsos has export potential?
As for our soca, we know that this has more income potential, hence why you find more new artists in that genre as opposed to calypso. There of course is no doubt that the Dennery Segment (readers know how I feel about that name) is doing a take-over in our calypso. Congratulations to all the winners.
I spoke to an acquaintance of G Six Productions, the last week of carnival and my friend who is a writer finds himself doing a few other things that I do as well, like artistes management. Well, of course we started talking Dennery Segment. He knew some of my positions and stances regarding Valley Music, my preferred term for the genre.
My acquaintance is also into digital marketing. He reminded me that sex sells. From our conversation, I deduced that money was the major motivation for what he does. I reminded him that I am an artiste and that for me is a tall order. Many people carry the tag of artiste lightly but I drove home to him that art has to uplift the human standard. That is not to say everything has to be nice and dandy. Art also pushes the envelope but we should be better for it when the envelope is opened and the content exposed.
We got to discussing morality and he gave me the common excuse that everyone has a different look at what is or is not morality. As true as that might be, there has to be a standard bearer. The Bible is quickly losing its place as such and the void is placing the world in chaos. We humans have lost our compass as and it is evident. What’s the point of making all the money in the world when the world will not allow you to enjoy it all because some young man feels he must rob you to keep up the image of having several chicks, the latest designer clothing or the latest hot ride.
Music is a great mirror to the values of society. Sometimes, I wonder if there are any sociologists out there anymore because I hardly hear their voices and the artistes who are aggrieved by the banal direction our society is trending towards are complaining in silence. Certainly life has to be more that cawan, cawan and splitting in the middle, or mashing up the fence. Life must have its light moments but if that is all it has then for sure we will only be drifting in the wind.